Imagine
by ravenbabe321
Summary: AU Dacey fic. This story is set in the world of the Twisted characters as adults and teachers at Green Grove Middle School. Lacey and Jo have remained friends since childhood. Will that change when the mysterious and extremely good-looking new soccer coach Danny Desai starts working at their school?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, This is the beginning of a story I've had on my mind for awhile now. I hadn't planned on publishing it until I finished with my other story, Queen In Shining Armor. That story is my main focus at the moment, though I plan on concluding that soon. Depending on how the response from this goes, determines if I'll continue with it at all. Most, if not all of the Twisted characters may make an appearance in this story. Keep in mind that this is an AU Dacey fic, though there are similarities to the show. I'd also like to say that it isn't my intention to have any similarities between this story and any other story that's on this site at the moment. I take my ideas and my ingenuity seriously. So if you see anything in this story that you've seen somewhere else, it is a coincidence. And this might be a little over the top, but I would like it to be pointed out to me so that it can be fixed or removed. I don't and won't take anyone else's ideas or works and claim them as my own. So I hope you enjoy my latest creation. I intend to rate this story as T. If I ever delve into the world of M, I will warn you. I do have the tendency to write provocatively. So reviews are greatly appreciated, to let me know what you think, good or bad. If the bad outweigh the good, I won't waste any of our time. So again, I Thank You for reading. **

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Lacey Porter awoke that morning feeling strange. She knew that it was just any typical day. It isn't a holiday, anniversary, or somebody's birthday. But she felt the need to be excited. And she didn't know why. She was just going to head to work, to the job she loved more than anything. She is an English teacher at Green Grove Middle School. Her love for children aspired her to pursue a career in teaching. She knew it wasn't a career that would essentially make her rich, but it was an honorable and fulfilling profession. Besides, her parents had money and would not hesitate to help her or her younger sister Clara out. And Lacey was not too proud or too stupid to refuse their help. There wasn't any need for her to struggle when she didn't have to. Thankfully, even though Lacey didn't have to ask, they had paid for her college education so she wasn't overwhelmed with student loans like many of her friends. She is still fairly young, only 24. She is single at the moment, but knew she'd probably meet the man she would marry soon enough. Most of the other male teachers at her school were either already married, old, or gay, so she wasn't looking for a husband there. And she didn't necessarily want or need to marry another teacher. She just needed someone who had the same passion, drive and love for children like she does. And she really loved them. She wasn't exactly ready for children, but they were definitely something that she wanted in the future. Besides, she already had a bunch of kids. The subject of kids was the reason she and her boyfriend Archie broke up. She wants kids, and he doesn't. And that was not a compromise she was willing to make. She loved all of her students, although some a little more than others. And her students loved her. Every kid that ever had Lacey Porter as their teacher, always said that she was their favorite teacher. And she was the cheerleading coach for the soccer team the school had. The school was currently looking for a new physical education teacher and soccer coach due to coach Chandler moving to Texas.

Lacey is still trying to fight off the weird feeling she's having. It just doesn't make sense that she's this giddy about going to work. Though she loves getting up and going to the career that she loves. She just felt, not right. She had taken her shower to shake off the haze of what she was feeling. It really didn't work. Maybe she'd feel better after she had her cup of coffee. She stood inside her closet, looking through her clothes, trying to find something to wear. She has an awesome wardrobe, though she hates that she can't wear everything in her closet due to being a teacher of young students. She had to save her favorite clothes for the weekend and when she went out at night. She was eyeing a blue peplum dress that she had never worn. She pulled it off the rack thinking it would be perfect. Nice, sort of sexy, without being too revealing. They were only 2 weeks into the new school year, so it was still fairly warm outside. And she had to deal with students still trying to recover from summer vacation and get back into the swing of the new school year. The kids really didn't settle down until about October. Then they would get riled up again when Halloween approached. And Christmas was a whole other story altogether. Getting young kids to not be excited about Christmas was like asking a fish not to get wet.

So, Lacey got dressed, and went downstairs to fix herself a quick breakfast and to feed her cat Daisy. She still felt anxious and excited, and she had no idea why. But she shrugged it off thinking that there must be a good reason for her to feel like something amazing would happen to her. She finished her breakfast and grabbed everything she needed for the day and headed to her car. She drove to her home away from home feeling antsy. Whatever she was feeling, it was a good thing so she decided to embrace it.

She pulled into the parking lot at school at the exact same time her friend, Jo Masterson pulled up. She and Jo have been friends since they were kids, and both decided to become teachers. Jo is teaching History. Although Lacey and Jo had teaching in common, that's where their similarities ended. Lacey is Black, sort of tall, slim, and strikingly beautiful. She had long, dark hair, dimples and a smile that would light up the room. Jo is White, short, slender and cute, but nowhere near as pretty as Lacey is. They had extremely different personalities also. Lacey was a social butterfly, confident, and nice, but had a take no prisoners attitude. Jo was sort of a loner, nice, and had a way of getting carried away with self loathing and selfishness, though she was borderline conceited. Most people attributed Jo's way of thinking because she was an only child that her parents doted on. Lacey had a younger sister so she didn't get spoiled by her parents the way that Jo did. But the two became friends when they both attended Green Grove Elementary, and remained friends to this day. They had little minor spats that friends sometime have, but they still are very close. They never let anything come between them even when they both went into diva mode, when Jo was being a little too nosey or when Lacey was being a little too secretive. And they didn't let a guy come between them the way that a lot of other female friends seem to do. Probably because they both attracted different kinds of guys. Jo seemed to be more attractive to smart, somewhat awkward guys. That's how she wound up being the object of Rico's desire. Ricardo Myers is the Science teacher. Fairly tall, handsome, and cutely geeky and awkward. The man that would probably do anything for Jo if she just let him. And as sad as it is, Rico was in love with Jo, though she either didn't notice or didn't care that he thought she was his dream girl. Jo kept Rico at arm's length, and never gave him a second thought. She considered him her best male friend. Lacey dated Archie Yates, the basketball captain throughout high school and college. She thought they'd get married, but the kids issue drove them apart. They still remained friends though.

Jo parked right next to Lacey and they greeted each other as they both got out of their cars.

"Hey Jo. How are you this morning?" Lacey asked cheerfully.

"I'm good. But apparently not as good as you. Did you have a hot date last night that you didn't tell me about?" Jo asks.

Lacey laughs. "No, I didn't. I just woke up with this weird feeling. I feel like I'm supposed to be excited about something, though I don't know what." Lacey says.

"Well, I guess being excited about something is a good thing. Maybe you'll find a buried treasure or something." Jo jokes. "Or maybe you'll meet the man of your dreams."

"I know I won't meet the man of my dreams at this school but, I guess so. Hopefully one of my students doesn't give me a trying day. They still have summer fever." Lacey says.

"I know. And I'm dealing with eighth graders who are anxious about graduating and getting out of middle school. I think I'm going to have a trying year." Jo says.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Lacey says. "Lunch in my classroom today, right?" Lacey asks.

"Yup. It's your turn. Hopefully Phoebe and Regina can get along today. And I hope Sarita can keep her trap shut." Jo says.

Lacey laughs again. "All of you are something else. We all can get along if you guys would strop trying to outdo each other."

Jo makes a face. "Yeah. I'll see you at lunch." Jo says.

"Ok." Lacey says as they head into the building and go into the office to check in. They both head in opposite directions to get to their classrooms. Lacey runs into Sarita on her way to her classroom. Sarita Vasquez is the petite, cute, and famously sarcastic Spanish teacher. Sarita is definitely one of those people you really have to get to know to love and appreciate. "Hello Sarita. How are you?" Lacey asks.

"I'm doing good so far. I probably won't be once those little monsters get here." Sarita says.

"Try not to scare your students today, ok?" Lacey jokes as they continue to walk down the hallway.

"What? I love fussing at them in Spanish and they have no idea what I'm saying. It's so much fun." Sarita says.

"I'll bet. Are you joining us for lunch today?" Lacey asks.

"Only if Jo keeps her trap shut." Sarita says.

"I swear, you'd think you two really hate each other." Lacey says as she smiles down at her shorter friend. Sarita and Jo don't really hate each other. They're actually more alike than they realize and sometimes clash because of it.

"I don't really hate her. I just want her to stop talking. Especially around me." Sarita says. "And what's up with this dress? You have a hot date after school or something?"

"What? This isn't a dress I'd wear on a date." Lacey admits.

"No, you're right. You'd wear something shorter to show off those killer legs." Sarita says.

Lacey laughs. "Thanks, I guess. I'll see you at lunch." Lacey says as she makes her way inside her classroom.

"Ok." Sarita says as she heads two doors down to hers.

Lacey enters her classroom and puts her things down on her desk before opening the windows to let in some fresh air. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping. Lacey loved that her classroom faced the back of the school where she had a direct view of the playing field. She could see the leaves sway on the trees and see when the kids went outside for gym and projects. Rico was always taking his science students outside to explore. It is truly a beautiful September day. Lacey goes about preparing herself for the arrival of her home room and first period students. Twenty minutes later the bell rings and her students start filing in. One of her male students, Jason Rogers, came up to her desk to personally say good morning to her. It was painfully obvious that Jason had a schoolboy crush on Lacey. It was to be expected, and Lacey didn't pay it or him any mind unless he crossed the line, which he didn't.

"Good morning, Ms. Porter." Jason says as he smiles at her before going to his seat.

"Good morning, Jason." Lacey said evenly. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

The students are milling about until they hear the official bell to calm down so they can start their day. Lacey's students loved her and thought she was an awesome teacher, but they also knew that Ms. Porter did not play any games with them and they respected her and that. They liked that she was the kind of teacher that didn't treat them like they were idiots. A few of her cheerleaders were in her classes. Some joined the squad just because they liked Lacey so much. Lacey went on to take attendance and start her day. After two classes of sixth grade English and one class of seventh, it's lunchtime for Lacey and most of her fellow teachers. She does a quick revision of the quiz she has planned for all of her students tomorrow before the girls arrive. They make a habit of joining each other for lunch in a different room everyday, since there's five of them. Lacey, Jo, Sarita, Phoebe, and Regina are all friends, although if they're really being honest, Lacey is the glue holding all of them together. Lacey just has an infectious personality that people want to be around. But they have their moments. It's mainly Sarita versus Jo and Regina versus Phoebe. Phoebe is the Drama teacher. And everything is always a production with Phoebe. She's a little over the top, but it's hard not to like her. Regina doesn't necessarily dislike Phoebe, but sleeping with the same man can put a damper on a friendship. Regina is the Sexual Education and Health teacher, which is perfect for her because Regina is definitely a sexual person. She's almost Green Grove's version of Samantha Jones from _Sex and the City. _She has foolishly, regrettably and un-regrettably slept with several teachers married and single at the school. She regrets the ones with wives that call her and threaten her. One even came to the school once. It wasn't pretty. The only thing that saved Regina was the fact that she was sleeping with the Principal too. As unfair as it was, he suggested that that male teacher find somewhere else to work.

Lacey is still going over her notes when the girls started to arrive. Sarita naturally arrived first because her classroom was so close to Lacey's. Phoebe and Regina arrived together, and were actually talking when they walked through the door. They were all just chatting and getting ready to start when Jo ran into the classroom excitedly. They all looked at her like she was crazy, because they never see Jo get that excited about anything.

She ran over to the window. "Did you guys see the new soccer coach? I'm letting you guys know that he's mine because I saw him first." Jo says as she just stands at the window and looks out of it.

They all just look at each other and walk over to the window to see who Jo is talking about.

"Damn." Says Sarita.

"Wow." Phoebe says. Even though she's now married, she can still look.

"Nice." Regina says. "Sorry, Jo. But we might have to fight over him." Regina says honestly. No way she's going to lose a guy that hot to Jo.

And Lacey says nothing because she's speechless. They are all staring out the window at the new soccer coach. Tall, dark, and handsome. Long, gorgeous, dark hair and he has a goatee. He's wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a black tie. Lacey had never seen a man wear just black slacks and a white shirt, and look that good. Maybe it's the hair. He's so gorgeous it hurts. They see that he's walking with the principal as he's showing him the soccer field. Principal Stokes and the new coach turn around and can see the women staring at them. They all jump away from the window immediately. They all start to chatter incessantly. Lacey is still speechless. Jo goes back to staking her claim and marking her territory.

"I am serious ladies. He's mine. I saw him first." Jo says.

"So?" Regina says. She doesn't care that Jo saw him first. Not at all.

"So, you guys wouldn't even know about him if it wasn't for me. He's mine." Jo says again.

"What if he's married?" Phoebe asks. She tries not to look at Regina when she says that, but she can't help it.

"Again I ask, so?" Regina asks. A guy being married has never stopped her before. And it won't stop her this time.

"Well, I'm out of this. He's hot, but I'm not going there. You two can fight over him. That'll be amazing to see. My money's on Regina." Sarita says.

"There will be no fighting over him. I saw him first. HE'S MINE!" Jo says strongly.

"Hard up much?" Regina asks as she laughs.

"No, I'm not hard up." Jo lies. "But you've had enough men at this school already. Give someone else a turn." Jo says.

"I've had my share of women. And that still won't stop me from sleeping with him too. There isn't a man alive that can resist my charms." Regina teases.

"You are not taking what's rightfully mine, Regina." Jo says. She really feels like she's entitled to him because she saw him first.

They all finally pick up on how quiet Lacey is. "What about you, Lacey? You haven't said anything." Sarita says.

"I'm just taking it all in." Lacey says.

"Do you want to put your bid in, Lacey?" Sarita asks just to get a rise out of Jo.

"No. He's not my type." Lacey lies. He's exactly her type.

"You liar." Phoebe teases. Lacey looks over at Phoebe for her to zip it.

"Yeah, I think she's lying too." Regina says, further angering Jo. "You want in on this Lacey?"

Jo answers for Lacey. "Of course she doesn't. She's my best friend and she won't try and take a guy that belongs to me." Jo says confidently.

"You really think he's yours, don't you?" Regina asks. She now hopes to not only take him from her, but to rub it in her face when she does get him.

Jo smiles mischievously. "He is mine. You just watch and see." Jo says as she finally sits down to eat her lunch in the little bit of time they have left.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." Regina says as she grins and follows Jo's lead to eat her lunch. The rest of the group goes to their seats to eat their lunch. They eat in an awkward silence. The new soccer coach seemed to have cause a rift between the women. Well not all of them. Nonetheless, he would cause a rift between two women in particular.


	2. Chapter 2

For some strange reason, Lacey had a hard time getting the new soccer coach off of her mind. She knew it was pointless, because he was off-limits to her. Jo had staked her claim. She did see him first. They have been friends too long to let a man come between them. Besides, Lacey wasn't desperate or hard up for a man. Men flirted with her everywhere she went. None of them interested her though. The soccer coach probably wouldn't interest her either. He is extremely attractive. He isn't necessarily the man she envisioned in her dreams, but he was gorgeous. A soccer coach no less. That means former jock. Just her type. But Jo wanted him. Life seemed unfair.

"Ms. Porter?" Lacey's student Katie was trying to get her attention.

Lacey finally snapped out of her daydream. "Yes, Katie?" Lacey says.

"Are you ok?" Katie asks in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine Katie. Why do you ask?" Lacey replies.

"You seem a little out of it. I called you like 5 times." Katie says.

Lacey realizes she was daydreaming harder than she realized. That's not good. "I apologize for not responding sooner, Katie. I'm ok though. Did you need something?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. I need the pass to go to the bathroom." Katie says.

Lacey smiles and reaches for the pass on her desk as Katie gets up out of her seat. Lacey is a little relieved she only had her students reading quietly to themselves. She figures they all must be finished by now so that she can ask the questions for discussion. She'll have to wait for Katie to return before she begins. Maybe 3 minutes later, Katie returns. Lacey finishes with her lesson and is relieved that this school day is over. She's extremely glad that she doesn't have cheerleading practice after school. That will soon change considering they have now hired a soccer coach. She assumes that practice will pick up immediately because they have missed it due to not having a coach at all. Lacey figured it would be interesting to see how things played out. She kind of had to work with the soccer coach. Not directly, but indirectly. She worked with her girls on the same field as the soccer team. Lacey is really hoping he's a jerk and won't like his personality at all. Considering how good looking he is, he's probably an arrogant meat head. She prayed that was the case. It would really make things easier.

Lacey is really pondering on that thought and straightening up her room when Sarita walks in. "What are you thinking about, Lacey?" Sarita asks as she comes in the classroom.

Lacey doesn't want to have this conversation so she thinks of a little white lie. "I'm just thinking of new cheers for the cheerleaders. I guess we'll be back to practicing soon since we have a soccer coach now." Lacey says.

"So, you were thinking about the new soccer coach?" Sarita implies.

Lacey lies. "No, I was thinking of new cheers. Don't start Sarita. Jo has her eye on him." Lacey says.

"So what? You've gotta admit that it's a little ridiculous of her to feel like she's entitled to him because she saw him first." Sarita says as she sits down on a desk.

"Well, that's how Jo is. She has always been like that." Lacey says as a way of defending her friend.

"What? Entitled, spoiled and selfish? I don't know how you put up with it this long." Sarita admits.

"She's not that bad. I guess I'm used to the way she is though." Lacey says.

"Doesn't make it right. Jo needs to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her. I know she's used to being treated like a special snowflake, but she will never get that treatment from me. You shouldn't either." Sarita says.

"Sarita, I'm not going to let a man come between us. We've been friends too long for that." Lacey says.

"So, you're interested?" Sarita asks.

"I don't even know him, Sarita. He could be a jerk." Lacey says, kind of hoping that he is so she can not be attracted to him.

"Well if he is, he'll be a hot jerk." Sarita says as she laughs.

"He is pretty hot isn't he? I guess I can look but not touch. I'll have to work with him in some form considering we're both coaches." Lacey says as she walks over to her desk to grab her things.

"And I wonder if Jo will suddenly want to be your assistant. I can't wait to see how she throws herself at him." Sarita says.

"Be nice, Sarita. I'm beginning to think you really don't like Jo." Lacey says as she walks to the door with Sarita behind her.

"I don't dislike Jo. I'm just not here for her the way most people are. But she's your best friend, so I'll respect that and not say too much. I just don't want you to miss out on something because of your loyalty to her." Sarita says honestly.

"Thanks Sarita. But you don't have to worry about me missing out on anything. This guy isn't even on my radar. He won't be an issue for me. Jo and I have never had issues with men in the past, so why would that suddenly start now?" Lacey wonders.

"Because there is a first time for everything. I'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the non hot date you have planned." Sarita says as she walks away from Lacey to head to her own classroom to gather her things.

Lacey just scoffs lightly and shakes her head as she walks towards the front entrance of the building. She stops in the office to check her mailbox to see if she has any messages. She pulls out a letter from the principal. It's just telling her that they have hired a new gym teacher and soccer coach and she should meet with him to discuss practices and meets since she's the cheerleading coach. She finds out from the letter that his name is Danny Desai. _Sexy just like him_, she thinks. Then she quickly puts that thought out of her mind as she tries to leave the building. She turns around and crashes right into someone. She drops her bag and the letter. She watches in what could be considered as horror as the new soccer coach _Danny Desai, _kneels down in front of her to pick up her things. She gets a whiff of his cologne and whatever magically scented shampoo and conditioner he uses on that gorgeous head of hair. When he stands up and faces her she realizes how much better looking he is up close.

_This isn't good. _Lacey thinks.

"Sorry about crashing into you there. Hi, I'm Danny Desai. I don't believe we've met yet." Danny says as he extends his hand to her while still holding her things she dropped in his other hand. As she shakes his hand she notices that his hands are soft. Totally unexpected considering he's a gym teacher and soccer coach. She also notices that his hands are big. Big and soft hands.

_This isn't good! _Lacey thinks again.

"It's ok. I'm Lacey Porter. It's nice to meet you." Lacey says as she tries to take her hand back, although he doesn't seem to want to let her hand go.

"Lacey Porter? You're the cheerleading coach, right? Principal Stokes told me I should meet with you." Danny says.

"Yes. He told me too. Well, he did in that letter you're holding." Lacey says as she laughs nervously and he finally lets her hand go.

Danny nervously laughs too. Then he hands her back her things. "Sorry again about running into you. Do you have a few moments so we can chat? I promise not to keep you too long." Danny says as he flashes her a smile.

"Uh, sure." Lacey says as she smiles back at him and he notices the dimple. That was it for him. He had already gotten a glimpse of her legs when he bent down to pick up her things. "Just let me put my things in my car, and I'm all yours. Where do you want to do this?" Lacey asks.

"Teacher's lounge?" Danny suggests.

"That's fine. I'll meet you there in 5 minutes." Lacey says a little too cheerfully. He's making her nervous.

"I'll be waiting." He says. He watches as Lacey walks from the office to the front door of the school. He can't help but be mesmerized by watching her walk away. He thought she was breathtakingly beautiful. He silently hoped she wasn't married, but thought that was probably wishful thinking. Of course a woman that beautiful is married. Disappointment almost got the best of him as he was pulled from being hypnotized by the gorgeous Lacey Porter, and made his way to the teacher's lounge to wait for her.

Lacey made her way to her car and didn't know whether to feel relieved or guilty for being glad that she didn't see Jo's car parked next to hers anymore. She threw her things in the backseat and got in the driver's side to sit for a minute to think. She didn't have much time to do that because he is waiting for her. She feels terribly conflicted. In those few moments they interacted in the office, Lacey knew that she was a goner. But she had to push those feelings aside for the sake of her friendship with Jo. And her career. She used the fact that he's a teacher at the same school as her reason for not even attempting to think of going there. He is and always will be off limits.

"God, I hope he's married or gay." Lacey says out loud as she laughs nervously. She checks her reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out and returning to the school. She walks in silently praying she sees a huge blinking wedding ring on his finger. He has to be married. A man that gorgeous can't possibly be single. Or at least gay. Let him be gay.

Lacey spoke to a few teachers and students as she walked back into the building. She walked into the teacher's lounge and again was a little perturbed by her feelings. She was relieved and disappointed that he was the only one in the lounge. Having someone else present would really help her out. He stood as she approached the table and pulled the chair out for her.

"Thank you." Lacey says as she sits down and crosses her leg.

"You're welcome." Danny says as he sits and takes a quick peek at her legs. He hoped he wasn't staring too long. "So, I guess we should get to know each other better since we'll kind of be working together. And I need to let you in on my plans of having practices. I'll try to follow the previous coach's schedule to make it easier on everyone involved. Does that work for you?" Danny says.

"Yes, it works fine. We usually practice while you guys practice three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday. The games are usually Fridays and Saturdays, so that works perfectly for me. I appreciate you keeping it the way Coach Chandler had it." Lacey says as she smiles at him.

"That's great. And it's not a problem. I wouldn't want to be the new guy that comes in and inconveniences everybody." Danny says as he grins at her.

"Great!" Lacey says enthusiastically. He's really making her nervous. She's trying to get a glimpse of his left hand, but the way that they're sitting is making it difficult for her to see.

"So, how long have you been teaching?" Danny asks casually.

"Two years. How about you?" Lacey asks just as casually.

"Almost four. I started right out of college. I've played soccer since I could walk, it seems." Danny admits.

"I started right out of college too. And I was a gymnast when I was younger, and outgrew that. So now I coach the cheerleaders."

"What do you teach?" Danny asks.

"English. I already know you teach physical education too since the two go hand in hand." Lacey says.

"Guilty as charged." Danny says and they both chuckle nervously. Danny seems to get a little lost in thought for a moment and Lacey wonders if he will say something else before she makes up an excuse to leave. After he shakes his head from his daze, he just looks at her and locks eyes with her briefly. "Are you married?" Danny asks.

Lacey plants a huge smile on her face to try to cover up her discomfort. "No, I'm not married." Lacey admits truthfully.

"Are you engaged or do you have a boyfriend?" Danny asks.

"Wow, you're pretty forward, aren't you?" Lacey says as she smirks at him innocently.

"Well, when I want to know something, I ask. I don't like assuming." Danny says.

"Well, to answer your forward questions, no I'm not engaged and no, I don't have a boyfriend." Lacey says.

Danny grins at her. "That's great. Would you like to have dinner sometime?" Danny asks hopefully.

Lacey smiles at him and stands. It actually pains her to refuse him. "I don't think that's a good idea. But thanks for asking." Lacey says.

Danny looks painfully disappointed as he stands also. "May I ask why not?" Danny says as he smirks at her this time.

"Because I don't date my colleagues." Lacey says. That's not exactly true, she's just never had a colleague she wanted to date.

"Who said it was a date? I just asked you to dinner." Danny says as he waits for her reaction. When he sees the embarrassed look on her face, he relents. "I'm just kidding. I am asking you on a date." Danny says.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't." Lacey says. "Have a good evening, and I'll see you tomorrow at practice." Lacey says as she leaves the lounge.

Danny watches as she leaves the teacher's lounge. He sensed that she was going to make him work for it. And he was definitely up for the challenge.


	3. Chapter 3

Lacey made her way back to her car on unsteady feet. She attributed it to the heels she was wearing. When that totally isn't the case. She could run in heels. Danny made her nervous. Extremely nervous. A man she just met twenty minutes ago shouldn't be making her this nervous. There has never been a moment in her life where she was this nervous after talking to a man. He was making her feel giddy, like one of her students. And this can't happen. She figures this is the reason she woke up feeling anxious, which is ridiculous. And then she goes back to thinking about what Jo said earlier. She told her she might meet the man of her dreams. Oh boy.

She sat in the driver's seat of her car and tried to gain her composure before starting it up and driving away. She hoped and prayed that Danny wouldn't become a problem for her. She now knew she had to get him and Jo acquainted immediately. She couldn't believe he asked her out on a date. He just met her! And then those ridiculously forward questions. Who just right off the bat asks someone if they're married? Or if they're engaged or have a boyfriend? Who does that? She figured that he must be single too since he asked her out on a date and asked her that. So much for her wishing that he's married. She just thought that that would work good for Jo. Neither of them was like Regina. They wouldn't carry on with someone's husband. And what about Regina? She wanted him too. This could get very messy. She wanted no part of it.

She started up her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She wanted to head home and unwind. She cherished her days when she could just go straight home. That wouldn't be the case the next day since practice started back up. Her evenings would no longer be her own. And that's usually ok, but now the new soccer coach would be a part of her evenings. She suddenly wished that she wasn't the cheerleading coach, but that thought quickly faded away because she loved being their coach. She loved what she did and she loved her girls. That wasn't the problem, and she knew it. She started feeling resentment towards Jo and Danny. Jo for marking her territory and staking her claim on a man she has never even met. And Danny for being so forward, and handsome, and sexy, and for asking her out on a date, and for making her nervous. Neither one of them had any right to make decisions for her. It shouldn't be this big of a deal, but it was affecting her. She did not like or appreciate it at all.

Lacey finally pulled up in front of her house and got out to gather her things from the backseat. She couldn't wait to get inside. As she made her way inside her house, her cat Daisy was at the door waiting for her. Her loyal confidant. She figured she had many things to tell Daisy tonight. Some would probably think she is crazy or silly for confiding in a cat, but it seemed perfectly normal to her. She could tell Daisy anything and knew that she wouldn't be judged and her secrets stayed secrets. Cats are awesome that way. Dogs too, but Lacey is too busy for a dog. Daisy is self-sufficient.

"Hi Daisy." Lacey says as Daisy rubs up against her leg. "I missed you."

Lacey kicks off her heels and heads for the kitchen. She knows that Daisy is ready for her meal. She puts food out for Daisy and looks in her freezer for what she wants for dinner. She looks in the fridge and is relieved to see that she has a bottle of wine in there. She'll definitely need that tonight. A hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. And Danny Desai will be off of her mind and out of her hair in no time. She walked up the stairs as she started to undress. She headed straight for her bedroom and turned her iPod on. She had to get in the zone. She decided to do a little light yoga to further relax herself. She put on her yoga pants and a sports bra and laid out her yoga mat. After she really got into the comfortable yoga positions, she really started to relax. And she felt a million times better. She was so glad that she discovered yoga. People really had no idea just how much it worked. She thought it was silly at first, but Phoebe convinced her to try it. And she was hooked. It really relaxed her. Sometimes dealing with children became stressful. She would always love her job, no matter what. But kids are stressful individuals. There were a lot of different personalities to deal with. The majority of them were going through puberty, so that was something to deal with. So many different emotions and hormones flying around. Lacey sometimes had to remember that she went through that point in her life too. She was now an adult and still experienced moments like young teens did. This particular set of trials and tribulations she's going through right now made her sympathetic and empathetic.

After her yoga session, she headed downstairs to fix her dinner. She just decided to fix herself a turkey burger, rice, and some broccoli. After she ate her dinner, she grabbed that bottle of wine and headed upstairs, with Daisy following closely behind. She turned her iPod back on and lit the candles she had in her bathroom. She drew her bath and poured in an extreme amount of bubble bath and bath salts. She undressed completely, grabbed the whole bottle of wine, and went back into her bathroom and climbed in the tub. As soon as she settled, her phone rang. There was no way she was getting out of the tub to answer it. Whomever it was, they would just have to wait. She needed this. She relaxed, drank her wine, and enjoyed her bath. She stayed in the tub until the water became cold. She got out, rubbed her body down completely with lotion, and put on her nightgown. She finally checked her phone and saw that she had a voicemail from her sister, Clara. Her younger sister, and best friend beside Jo. Actually, she and Clara were naturally closer because they shared that sibling bond. Lacey immediately called her back, hoping she wasn't studying and didn't want to interrupt her. Clara is 21 and a senior Psychology major at NYU.

"Hello?" Clara answers.

"Hey Clarabella. You rang?" Lacey greets her sister.

"Hey, Cee-Cee. How are you? I just had this weird feeling to check on you." Clara says.

"I'm the big sister. I'm supposed to check on you. I'm fine, though." Lacey says.

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you have to check up on me. And the feeling isn't really a bad one, I just feel weird about you for some reason." Clara responds.

"Now that you mention it, I woke up feeling a little strange. I felt like I needed to be excited about something. And then something weird happened at work." Lacey admits.

"Excited about what? And what weird thing happened at work?" Clara asks.

"I don't know, exactly. I just woke up feeling strange. And then I had lunch with the girls. Things got pretty interesting from there." Lacey says.

"Interesting? Did Sarita and Jo get into it? Or did Phoebe and Regina have a cat fight?" Clara asks.

"Well, you're on to something. Though that isn't exactly it." Lacey says.

"I'm listening." Clara says.

"Well, Jo ran into my classroom all excited about the new soccer coach. I wish you could have seen it and him. Jo put in her bid for him because she saw him first-" Lacey tries to finish before Clara cuts her off.

"Typical Jo." Clara says.

"Quiet." Lacey says as she laughs. "And then she and Regina got into it about him. Jo maintained that he's hers. And Regina pretty much challenged her to a duel." Lacey says.

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving something out?" Clara asks.

"Well, this new soccer coach is beyond gorgeous. He's tall, has a goatee and long hair. He asked me on a date when I met with him about practice. I hated to turn him down." Lacey admits truthfully to the only other person in the world besides Daisy that she tells everything to.

"Why did you turn him down?" Clara wonders.

"I had to. Jo wants him. She did see him first." Lacey says.

"So?" Clara asks.

"You sound just like Sarita and Regina." Lacey admits.

"Well, we all can't be wrong." Clara says.

"You guys aren't wrong per se. But I can't do that to Jo. She wants him. I can't take a guy from her." Lacey says.

"He's not even hers to take. She just saw him first. Did he ask her out too?" Clara asks.

"I doubt it. She would have said something if he did. I don't think she has even met him yet." Lacey replies.

"So, I don't see the problem." Clara confesses.

"The problem is I can't do that to my friend. We've never let a guy come between us before. I'm not gonna start now. I would do the same for you if you saw a guy first." Lacey responds honestly.

"I get that. But he asked you out. And I wouldn't stand in the way of that even if I did see a guy first. I'm not selfish like Jo." Clara says.

"Come on, Clarabella. Don't start." Lacey says.

"I won't. But you shouldn't turn down a guy just because Jo wants him. I could see if they were dating and he asked you out. But I won't say any more. I know how much of a people pleaser you are. I love and hate that about you." Clara says.

"I love you too, Clarabella." Lacey says.

"I love you, Cee-Cee. Tell Jo I said she sucks!" Clara yells before hanging up before Lacey can respond.

Lacey just laughs and places her phone on her nightstand. She hears a chime alerting her of a text message a few minutes later.

_Tell Jo I'm gonna send her a case of water to quench her thirst! :)_

Clara is just too much sometimes.

* * *

Lacey awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. The yoga, wine and bubble bath did their job. She walked into her closet to find a suitable outfit for work. She thought she was going to dress down a little, but decided against that. Lacey Porter doesn't look frumpy for anybody. She picked a black, high-waisted pencil skirt and white blouse and black pumps. Again, not too revealing, professional, and not overly sexy. Although Lacey's model-esque stature and figure could make a moo moo look sexy. She wasn't trying too hard, trying to attract attention, trying to stand out, or trying to step on Jo's toes. She would stand out anyway, and that's not her fault. She had Samuel and Judy Porter's great genes to thank for that. Clara came out equally as beautiful.

Lacey got dressed and remembered to pack her practice gear bag. Although she was just the coach, she got in on the cheerleading action. She had it in her bones. Being a gymnast for so long will do that to a person. And it was her way to get exercise and stay in shape, without having to kill herself at the gym. It was a win win situation. She headed downstairs to feed Daisy, made a quick breakfast and her lunch of what she cooked the night before. She headed outside and was glad that it was again another nice September day. They could have a nice practice outside. She preferred practicing outside so that they'd get used to cheering outside. Practicing and cheering in the gym is totally different. The cheerleaders needed to get used to the asphalt and the grass. Although she didn't have them doing full on stunts like high school and certainly not like college did.

She drove to work and pulled into the parking lot, this time she and Regina arrived together. She knew that Phoebe was already in the building because her husband dropped her off early to head to his own job. Sarita and Jo would be arriving shortly or were already there. Regina got out of her car and was standing at her car talking to the Algebra teacher, Cole Farrell. Cole is built, with movie star good looks. He must be one of Regina's latest conquests. Lacey gathered her things and walked into the building and headed inside the office. Sarita was in there talking to the secretary, Carmen. They were talking animatedly in Spanish. Lacey was standing at the counter when Jo walked in. Lacey immediately noticed that she was wearing a dress. Jo never wears dresses. The dress was red, and small patterned plaid, and she had on black heels. The dress was pretty enough for Jo, but Lacey would never wear it. Lacey also noticed that Jo straightened her usually frizzy hair. Lacey saw that Sarita took in Jo's appearance and said something to Carmen in Spanish, and they started to cackle in laughter.

Jo didn't notice or pretended not to notice. She walked up to Lacey and Lacey could tell she was in a good mood.

"Good morning, Lacey. Beautiful day, isn't it?" Jo says.

"Yes, it is a beautiful day. You look nice." Lacey said. She could tell Jo needed to hear that from her.

"Thanks. You look good too." Jo says.

Suddenly, Rico walks into the office and he's immediately flustered with Jo's appearance. He thinks she looks amazing.

"Good morning, Jo. You look fantastic!" Rico exclaims.

His compliment completely goes over Jo's head because all she says is, "Thanks."

And then Danny walks into the office and Jo becomes just as flustered as Rico just was. Danny says a general, "Hello" and "Good Morning" to everyone. He then saunters up to Lacey and says, "Good morning, Ms. Porter. You look great today." Danny didn't even try to hide the seduction in his voice. All eyes were on him and Lacey as he stood next to her with a huge grin plastered on his face. He completely ignored Jo.

"Good morning, Mr. Desai." Lacey said evenly as she turned to walk away. Danny immediately turned to watch her walk out of the office.

Jo was not pleased.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note part 1: First I'd like to thank you all for your interest in this story. I appreciate it more than you know. Secondly, I'd just like to clarify something. This is NOT a love triangle! I don't even consider what was going on on the show as a love triangle. Danny made it perfectly clear who he wanted from the first episode. I have yet to see Danny agonize over who to choose between Lacey and Jo. He wanted Lacey as his girlfriend, and he said Jo is like his sister. That is not a love triangle. I think the show, Jo and Janny fans made it into that because of Jo's feelings for him. What Lacey went through with Danny and Archie is my definition of a love triangle, and she obviously chose Danny.**

**Author's note part 2: I'm picturing Danny and Lacey as they are as Avan and Kylie, since they're adults in this story. Though I may have embellished just a little on Danny. Maybe I'm picturing him how I'd picture an adult Danny. And for the record, Danny is 26 in this story. I don't exactly know why, I just wanted him to be older than Lacey is. **

**Thanks again for reading. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lacey quickly hurried to her classroom. She needed to get as far away from Danny Desai as humanly possible. She needed to avoid him at all costs. Unless it was absolutely necessary for her to interact with him. She couldn't believe he came up to her in the office just now. But it was partly her fault. She should not have lingered so long in the office. Had she checked in and went directly to her class, that little exchange would not have happened. He was stressing her out, unnerving, unraveling, and just plain irking her. It would not be a problem if he was ugly, or a jerk like she hoped. He was unbelievably charming and charismatic. And he really didn't have or need to be. His looks spoke for themselves The hair alone was a conversation starter. She tried to imagine that she didn't notice the way he smelled, the scent of his hair, or what he was wearing. He had on blue jeans and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a blue and white tie. She also noticed the veins in his forearms. That was reason enough to make her jet from the office.

She hurried down the hallway to her classroom. She needed to be alone if only for a moment. She headed into her classroom and put her things on her desk. She immediately walked over to the window to look out it. She heard the sound of heels approaching her room. She heard the door close and finally turned around. It was exactly who she expected to see.

"So you met the hot new coach, huh?" Sarita asks.

"Yes. Yesterday. We met after school to discuss soccer and cheerleading practice." Lacey says without emotion. She knew that exchange in the office would send Sarita running.

"Interesting. So what's his name?" Sarita asks as she walks over to sit in her usual spot on a desk.

"Danny Desai." Lacey says and desperately tries not to blush or smile. She doesn't want to give Sarita any more ammunition than she already has.

"Danny Desai? Even his name is sexy. He looked like he was ready to jump on you in the office. What else did you two talk about yesterday?" Sarita asks.

"What do you mean what else? I told you what we talked about." Lacey responds.

"Yeah, but you're also leaving something out. I know you better than you think I do, Lacey." Sarita says.

"Fine, but it doesn't leave this classroom. Ok?" Lacey says.

"It won't." Sarita says honestly.

"He asked me out to dinner." Lacey says.

"And let me guess, you refused because of Jo." Sarita states confidently. She knows she's right.

"Yes, I refused. I had to. You saw and heard Jo yesterday." Lacey says.

"And I also saw the way he checked you out and didn't pay her any attention while we were in the office. He watched you walk away when you left." Sarita says.

Lacey perks up and blushes. She didn't mean to though. "He did?" Lacey asks.

"Yes, he did. He looked at you like he was on death row and you were his last meal." Sarita says.

Lacey scoffs. She walks over to sit at her desk. "That doesn't mean anything. Men check me out all the time, Sarita. It's no big deal." Lacey says.

"Yeah, men check you out because you're gorgeous. But none of them have you wanting them back. I can tell that you're interested in this guy. Cole checks you out all the time and asked you out too. And so have plenty of other guys when we've went out. And you go back to being your normal self. Now, you're not. And I think that's a shame." Sarita says.

"Ok, Ms. Vasquez. I hear you. But it's not a big deal. I know he'll like Jo once he meets and gets to know her. He only talked to me for like 10 minutes. It's not like he now wants to marry me or something. I'm not going to stand in her way. And we're not going to talk about this anymore. Lunch is in your room today, right?"

"Right. I'll see you at lunchtime." Sarita says as she gets off the desk and leaves the room. She decides she'll keep her mouth shut and won't mention Jo, Lacey, or Danny anymore. For now. She hates how Lacey sacrifices herself and her happiness for other people. She can't help but wonder if Jo would do the same thing if the tables were turned.

* * *

Lacey made it through her first and second period classes uneventfully. Her third period class pulled her out of her comfort zone. She was standing at the chalkboard going over a lesson when she heard a lot of commotion outside her window. She turned around to glance out the window when she saw the gym class outside. That wasn't a problem. She could handle that. What really messed her up was the gym teacher.

Danny had taken his gym class outside to play dodge ball. That was a given considering how nice it was outside. And that really wasn't a problem. Sometimes the students being outside distracted her students, but that wasn't the problem either. The problem was the gym teacher. The extremely sexy gym teacher. And specifically what he had on. And what he was doing to Lacey. To anyone else he was just wearing a Green Grove Middle School tee-shirt and shorts. But to Lacey, he was wearing something that he looked ridiculously good in. She could see his muscles under the tee-shirt. And that fabulous head of hair was in a bun. Ok. And his legs. They were toned and hairy. And Lacey could swear she saw his lips on the whistle as he blew into it. She closed her eyes to remove the image from her mind. When she opened them, she saw Danny looking into her classroom. He smiled and waved at her. That was it.

"Class. Read amongst yourselves quietly. I'll be back in 5 minutes. And no funny business or I'll send Ms. Vasquez in here." Lacey said as she left the room. The class groaned at the thought of her sending Sarita in the class with them. Lacey needed to be by herself to get her emotions and feelings in check. She walked into the teacher's restroom down the hall. She just leaned against the door and took a deep breath and gave herself a pep talk.

"Come on Lacey, get it together. You can do this. He's just a man. That's all. You have to get yourself together." Lacey says to herself as she calms her heavy breathing. Once it returns to normal, she makes her way back to her classroom. Of course her students were talking, but they weren't rowdy or loud so she really didn't care. She finished with her lesson and didn't glance out her window once. She was glad when the bell rang signaling it was time for lunch for her. As her students filed out of the classroom, she did some minor desk straightening for her next class since she'd be leaving to have lunch in Sarita's classroom. A knock at her window startled her as she turned around to see Danny standing at her window. Oh god.

"Hello again, Ms. Porter." Danny says.

Lacey tries to hide her amusement. "Hello again to you too, Mr. Desai. Don't you have students waiting?" Lacey asks in the same even tone she uses with him.

"No. It's my lunch time. And I'm assuming it's yours too. Am I right?" Danny asks.

"Yes, you're right. It is my lunchtime." Lacey says.

"Do you want to have lunch with me?" Danny asks as he flashes her that killer smile.

Thank god she has an excuse! "I'm sorry, but I can't. I usually have lunch with a few female teacher friends of mine." Lacey says.

"So, if you weren't having lunch with your friends, you would have lunch with me?" Danny asks.

"No." Lacey says with finality. She tries not to notice the disappointed look on his face.

"You're the women I saw looking out the window yesterday." Danny says accusingly. Lacey's embarrassed and surprised expression amuses Danny. "It's ok. I don't mind that you were watching me." He says as he smirks at her.

"We weren't watching you." Lacey lies.

"But you were watching me earlier." Danny says cockily.

"No, I wasn't." Lacey lies again.

Danny again smirks at her. "You and I both know that is not true." Danny says as he walks away from the window. Lacey is stunned speechless.

* * *

Lacey warms her lunch up in the microwave she has in her classroom. She grabs her food and her lunchbag and walks from her classroom to go to Sarita's. She runs into Jo in the hallway. Lacey sees that her lips and tightly pursed together into a straight line. Lacey knows what that means. She's upset about something. And Lacey knows exactly what it is. She's upset about what happened in the office that morning. Lacey approaches Jo with kid gloves on. She hates dealing with another adult in this way, but she knows how Jo is. As much as Lacey tries to deny it, she knows that Jo has been treated like a privileged princess her entire life. The world had Kyle and Tess Masterson to thank for that. If she weren't so clueless, she'd see that Rico was willing to treat her like a delicate flower. He already did. She just didn't notice it. Which is strange considering how much attention she requires. It's the weirdest thing in the world to explain to someone.

"Hey Jo. How is your day going?" Lacey asks as she stops outside her classroom beside her friend.

"Fine." Jo says. That's all she's giving her.

"Are you ok?" Lacey asks. She knows she can get more out of Jo if she allows her to talk about herself.

"I'm fine. Why didn't you tell me you knew the new soccer coach?" Jo asks.

And here it is. "I don't exactly know him. I just met him yesterday when we talked about practice for the soccer team and the cheerleaders." Lacey says. There's no way she's telling Jo the other part.

"But why didn't you tell me you met him?" Jo whines.

"I didn't have a chance to, Jo. It was just a quick meeting after school. That's all." Lacey says in her defense.

'Well, why didn't you introduce me this morning?" Jo asks. "You know I'm interested in him."

"Do you want me to introduce you two now?" Lacey asks. She'll do almost anything to get them talking so Jo can shut up about meeting him.

"No, not right now. You can do it when you have practice after school. Is that ok?" Jo asks.

"Yup, that's perfect. Meet me at my classroom." Lacey says.

And just like that, Jo is happy again. She starts beaming. "Thanks, Lacey. I owe you one." Jo says.

"It's not a problem. I'm happy to introduce you to him." Lacey says as they make the short trek to Sarita's room. Things don't go well when they enter. Sarita, Regina, and Phoebe are standing at the window. They can only be looking at one thing. Danny.

"What's going on?" Jo asks as they enter the room.

Regina goes into attack mode. "We're enjoying the view." Regina says. "Our little boyfriend is pretty hot. Jo, you picked a good one."

Sarita bursts out laughing and Regina joins in. Lacey and Phoebe say and do nothing. Jo, is again not pleased.

"What do you mean by 'our' little boyfriend? I told you he's mine." Jo says sharply.

"Well, judging by the way he looked at Lacey this morning, I think that ship has sailed." Sarita says as she and Regina crack up laughing again. Jo is making it too easy for them. Lacey looks horrified as she looks at Sarita and cuts her eyes at her. Sarita just hunches her shoulders and smiles.

"Ha ha. That's a very funny joke ladies." Jo says as she walks over to the window to stare at "her" man.

"Who's joking?" Regina asks.

"I get what you two are trying to do, and it's not going to work. Just you wait and see. He'll really be mine soon enough. And there won't be anything you guys can say." Jo says confidently. They decide to let her have her moment. There's no need to pick with her further. They walk away from the window and enjoy their lunches.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Jo arrives at Lacey's classroom as expected. Lacey was finishing up with straightening up her room. Lacey is extremely glad she can finally get their introduction over with. She prays that the meeting goes well and that they hit it off so that Lacey can completely remove herself from the situation. So that she no longer has to worry about Jo, Danny, Sarita, or Regina. The only person that wasn't on her nerves at the moment is Phoebe. She's banking on that changing in a few minutes.

Lacey gathers her purse and her gym bag. "Ready, Ms. Masterson?" Lacey asks as she smiles at her longtime friend.

"Very ready." Jo says. She seems to be on top of the world.

They leave Lacey's classroom and head towards the gym. When they walk in, they see Danny putting the balls away in the rack. He is happy to see Lacey when he looks up. He vaguely remembers the other woman with Lacey.

Lacey walks up to him and smiles. "Hello. I'd like to introduce you to my best friend, Jo Masterson." Lacey says.

Danny smiles and extends his hand to Jo. "Danny Desai. Nice to meet you." Danny says as he shakes Jo's hand.

Jo is grinning profusely. "Nice to meet you too." Jo says.

"Well, I'll let you two get acquainted. I'll be back after I change." Lacey says as she walks away.

The smile disappears from Danny's face once he realizes what Lacey introducing him to her friend really was about.

The smile also disappears from Jo's face once she realizes that Danny watched in disappointment as Lacey walked away.

Danny decided to be a gentlemen anyway. "So, what do you teach?" Danny asks.

"History. Do you like it here so far?" Jo asks.

"Yes. Even though I've only been here a full day. But so far, so good." Danny says.

"Well, that's good." Jo says. They both stand there in an awkward silence. Jo is waiting for him to ask her out. She doesn't understand what's taking him so long.

"So...Uh...How long have you and Lacey been friends?" Danny asks.

That isn't the question Jo wants Danny to ask her. "Almost 20 years. Would you like to go out with me sometime?" Jo asks. She decides to grab the bull by the horns and go for what she wants. He's dragging his feet.

Danny can't say that he isn't surprised that's what she asked him. He's used to women asking him out. Not that he's conceited, he knows that he's attractive to women. It comes with the territory. And while he knows he isn't attracted to this woman, and really doesn't intend to lead her on, being a jerk and hurting her feelings isn't something he intends to do. They'll both see how incompatible they are once they go on a "date." "Uh, sure. Is tonight ok? We can meet for dinner after practice." The sooner they get it over with, the better. Her enthusiasm makes a lump form in his throat and it's almost impossible to swallow. He's starting to think saying yes wasn't such a good idea.

Jo lights up like Times Square on New Years Eve. "That's great. Is Lucy's ok?" Jo asks in excitement. She's so happy she doesn't realize that Danny does not seem as excited as she does about going out to dinner with her.

"Sure. I'll meet you there at 7. I'll get your number from Lacey." Danny says less than enthusiastically.

"Ok. I'll see you there." Jo says as she walks away. And purely by coincidence, Lacey walks back into the gym as Jo is walking away. She sees how excited Jo is as she walks up to her. "We're having dinner at 7!" Jo says as she practically squeals.

Lacey felt like she had been kicked in the gut, but didn't let it show. "That's great, Jo! I want the juicy details soon." Lacey says.

"I'm pretty sure I'll have something juicy to tell you." Jo leans forward and lowers her voice. "Make sure he doesn't tire himself out at practice." Jo says.

"Oh wow. Sex on a first date, huh? You are a bad girl Jo." Lacey says. She can barely get the words out.

"You'll find out later." Jo is still excited as she gives Lacey a hug and walks over to the gym door. She stops and turns around to wave and smile at Danny before she exits.

Lacey tried to pretend that she didn't see the look of displeasure on Danny's face the entire time she was talking to Jo. But she isn't going to dwell on it. Her job is done. She walks up to Danny who is still angry about being ambushed.

"What was that?" Danny asks while trying to mask his anger.

"What was what?" Lacey asks innocently.

"You set me up." Danny says.

"What? She wanted to meet you. Anything that happened after that isn't my fault." Lacey says to her defense.

"And you still set me up." Danny says as he admires her beauty. He really isn't that mad, but he doesn't appreciate what she did either.

"And I didn't hold a gun to your head and make you ask her out to dinner." Lacey says as she looks at him and tries not to focus on his lips. They looked so soft. But those lips are untouchable.

"I didn't ask her out to dinner, she asked me. I couldn't say no unlike you did when you turned me down." Danny says as he eyes her suspiciously. "Is that why you turned me down? Because you knew your friend wanted to ask me out?" Danny asks.

Lacey decides to ignore his question. Her job is done. "I think we need to get to the field before they think practice is cancelled." Lacey says as she walks toward the door that leads to the field.

Danny again watches her walk away from him. He was perfectly willing to play her little game because he knew he'd win in the end.


	5. Chapter 5

Lacey made her way to the field to wait for the cheerleaders to arrive. A few of them were already on the field when she got outside. She saw a few of the soccer players straggling along. Her first period student, Jason Rogers, the one that's hopelessly in love with Lacey, was walking up to her.

"Hi, Ms. Porter." Jason said. He always goes out of his way to speak to her.

"Hi, Jason. Ready for practice?" Lacey asks in the tone she uses for all of her students, unless they're being extra and she has to take it up a notch. She understood that he had a crush on her, but she was in no way, shape, or form, going to even let him think she returned his feelings. Being a teacher sometimes came with that. She has overheard the female students talk about how hot Cole Farrell is. She also heard a few girls in her classes talk about Danny too. While she agreed and understood perfectly where they were coming from, it's still a touchy subject. There have been too many instances of teachers sleeping with their students. She couldn't even imagine what went through people's heads when they did that. They are children and completely off-limits. And not the kind of off-limits Lacey is trying to convince herself that Danny is. In the back of her mind, she knows that Danny is a viable option. Her students, on the other hand, aren't and never will be.

"Yes. I hope this new coach is good." Jason says.

"I'm sure he will be. I don't think they would have hired him if he wasn't." Lacey says reassuringly.

"I guess so." Jason says and walks away to join his teammates.

Lacey sees Danny walking onto the field with cones in his hands. She could still see his muscles rippling under his tee-shirt. She tried to look past him and focus on what was behind him. It was really was no use though, because her gaze drifted right back to him. She subtly watched as he lined up the cones. Each time he put one down, she saw his biceps flex. She started to think that her cheerleaders needed to get on the field immediately, so that she could have something to do. Standing there like an idiot and staring at the hot soccer coach. She remembered that she didn't have this problem with Coach Chandler. Suddenly, more kids started to arrive. Her cheerleaders were sitting in the stands. She felt a little silly when she realized that they were all there, yet she was still in a daze watching Danny.

"Alright, Gatorettes! You guys ready to practice?" Lacey asks with genuine enthusiasm. Only half of the girls was as enthusiastic as she was. A couple of them groaned. And groans are the kinds of things Lacey doesn't really have time for. They aren't being forced to be there. They could leave at their own discretion. She knew that some of them were cheerleaders simply because of the boys on the soccer team. The others genuinely loved the sport, and planned to pursue cheerleading in high school and college. Kind of how she was with gymnastics. She outgrew that, but she still had a passion for it. So when she had the opportunity to become the cheerleading coach, she jumped at the chance. Though cheerleading isn't exactly like gymnastics, the premise is still the same. A lot of tumbling, jumps, kicks, and splits. Though they didn't have to be as graceful as gymnasts, it was an extremely fun thing to do. "Come on girls, I need more enthusiasm than that. Are my Gatorettes ready to practice?" Lacey asks again.

They all stand and start to clap, yell, and cheer. "Yeah!" The cheerleaders say.

'Ok, we're gonna start with some light stretching." Lacey says. "Spread out." The girls spread out and they follow Lacey's lead and start stretching. When she turns around, she sees Danny staring at her, though he's pretending he isn't. He's pretending to look over things on his clipboard while he has the soccer players doing a dribbling shalom. Lacey figures that's enough stretching for now. She needs to do something else because Danny is starting to unnerve her again. "Alright ladies. Give me 2 laps and then we'll work on cartwheels." The girls start out to run on the track. She would usually run with them, but again, Danny is doing something to her. She makes a mental note to practice indoors tomorrow.

Danny then sends the guys to run with the girls and he walks over to Lacey. Oh boy.

He just walks up and stands next to her as he folds his arms across his chest. "I saw you watching me when I was setting out the cones." Danny says.

Lacey folds her arms to match his pose. "And I saw you watching me while I was stretching." Lacey says.

"You're right, I was watching you. So you're admitting that you were watching me?" Danny teases.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Coach Desai." Lacey says.

"You do know what I'm talking about, Coach Porter." Danny says.

"If I say I was watching you, will that satisfy you?" Lacey asks. She refuses to look at him.

"I won't be satisfied until you agree to go out with me." Danny says. "And I still won't be fully satisfied. But that's a start."

"You're going out with Jo, shouldn't that be enough for you?" Lacey asks.

"Of course not. I don't want to go out with her. I only said yes because I don't like breaking hearts the way you broke mine when you turned me down." Danny says.

"Don't blame that on me. You could've said no." Lacey says.

"Did you want me to say no?" Danny asks.

Before she even realizes it, she says, "Yes." She immediately realizes her mistake. "I meant, no." Lacey says.

Danny laughs. "Which one is it, Ms. Porter?" Danny asks as he moved from beside her to stand in front of her.

"What was the question again?" Lacey asks as she desperately tries to not zoom in on the veins popping on his forearms. Or the muscles that have formed because his arms are folded. She can see the bottom of a tattoo he has on his arm. Oh boy.

Danny licks his lips. "Am I making you nervous, Ms. Porter?"

"No." Lacey lies.

"Am I turning you on, then? Because you're turning me on." Danny says as he licks his lips again.

Lacey changes the subject so that she doesn't have to answer that question. "You do realize there are students around, don't you?" Lacey asks.

He takes a step forward. "But there won't be any students around if you come home with me after practice." Danny says seductively.

Lacey's breath catches in her throat and she lets out a light gasp. "You have a date, remember? With my friend." Lacey says. She'll say anything to take the focus off of her so that she doesn't have to respond.

"Call her and tell her the date is off. Even though it isn't a real date." Danny says.

"I can't do that." Lacey says.

"Why not?" Danny asks.

"Because I can't." Lacey says as she walks away. She walks toward the track. "Ok, girls. Bring it in. Take a 10 minute break, and then we'll get started." Lacey says. She heads towards the building to go to the restroom. She needs to put that much distance between herself and Danny. He watches her every move and as bad as he wants to follow her into the building, he doesn't. That wouldn't be a professional thing to do when they have students watching. All bets are off when practice is over though.

* * *

Lacey goes into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She felt hot; overheated. She was having a hard time dealing with Danny. It's not even the fact that he keeps coming on to her. It was the fact that she had to turn him down. Had Jo not been involved, she would have given in to his advances. She would have agreed to go out to dinner with him. She wouldn't have necessarily gone home with him, but she would have considered going home with him eventually. Or inviting him over to her house. She was starting to resent Jo. A lot. And she hated feeling that way about her best friend. She felt like she would be betraying her if she gave in to Danny the way she wanted to. Even though Sarita and Clara told her that it's ridiculous for Jo to lay claim on a man because she saw him first. And the way that he talked, he wasn't interested in Jo. Did that make a difference? Did she really have to write off a man because Jo wanted him? It's not even like she's in love with him. She's just physically attracted to him. That had to count for something, right?

Lacey calmed her nerves and contained her composure before returning to the field. When she returned, she saw the soccer team, lining up for shooting practice. The cheerleaders were laid out on the grass. That was their way of taking a break. She walked up to them and smiled. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah!" They all say. They love doing flips and cartwheels, even if all of them aren't great at it. That's where Lacey really comes in to help out. Some of the girls couldn't do flips at all, but she's been working with them. She didn't treat any of them as a lost cause. Even the girls that couldn't do full splits. She showed them the exercises to do to help them stretch and increase their flexibility.

"Ok, we're going to do cartwheels in groups of two. Destiny and Iyauna, you guys go first. Then Abbie and Tori. Third group is Becca and Jade. Fourth group is Jasmine and Ariana. Fifth group Sierra And Myra. Sixth group Bella and Ally. And last, but certainly not least, Emma and Julie. Go." Lacey says and the girls line up with their partner to do their cart-wheel. They are getting better at their flips. And that's really as far as Lacey allow them to go. She doesn't want to risk any of her girls getting hurt on her watch.

"Coach Porter? Can you show us how to do a back tuck? Ally asks.

"I'd feel more comfortable teaching you guys that in the gym on mats." Lacey says.

"Well, just let us see you do one." Ally says. "We know you know how."

"Ok. Don't laugh if I fall." Lacey jokes as she positions herself to do the back tuck. She lands squarely on her feet and the girls start to cheer. "Thanks girls. Now we're gonna work on splits and then we'll end practice today. Tomorrow, we'll work inside on the flips and cheers."

After the girls do what they call an insane amount of splits, Lacey ends practice. "Good practice girls. On my count, 1, 2, 3. Gatorettes!" They all say in unison as they come out of their huddle.

All of the girls say, "Bye, Coach Porter" as they go to grab their things and leave the field. Lacey lingers around because she has to help Danny straighten up after. He ends practice with the boys about a half an hour later. The boys leave the field, and Danny grabs the soccer balls and put them into a net bag while Lacey gets the cones. She takes the cones and the balls into the gym while Danny handles the coolers and takes them inside. Lacey is suddenly very nervous because they are very much alone. She needs to get her bag and leave the premises immediately. But she feels it would be rude to leave without saying anything.

"We had a good practice today." Lacey says as she looks over at him.

"Yeah, we did. I see you still have it in you." Danny says, amusement laced in his voice.

"I still have what in me?" Lacey asks in a confused tone.

He pauses to look at her strangely. "Being able to do a back flip. What did you think I was talking about?" Danny asks in the same amused tone as before.

Lacey cringes from embarrassment. "Um, exactly what you were talking about. I'll see you tomorrow." Lacey says as she tries to hurry from the gym. Danny hurries to the door to stop her.

"Why do you keep running away from me?" Danny asks as he towers over her.

"I'm not." Lacey says as she tries to step around him to leave, but he moves and blocks her from leaving.

"That's exactly what you're doing. I just want to know why." Danny asks. "Are you afraid of me?"

Lacey looks up at him into his eyes. Of course she isn't afraid of him. "No. I'm not afraid of you." Lacey answers truthfully.

'Then what is it?" Danny asks again.

Lacey looks off to the side and then looks back at him. He seems genuinely concerned and wants an answer. "You have a date with my friend tonight. You should head on home so that you aren't late." Lacey says as her answer. That has to be her focus.

"Yeah, I'm eager to hurry home to get ready for a date that I don't even want to go on." Danny says.

"Well, you are the one that said yes." Lacey says as she reminds him of just that.

"And you are the one that put me in that situation in the first place." Danny says as he looks at her wishing she was the woman he was going on a date with instead of her friend.

"I didn't have a choice." Lacey says.

"I need to ask you a question, and I would really like it if you told me the truth, ok?" Danny says.

"Ok." Lacey says.

"Do you really want me to go on a date with your friend?" Danny asks.

Lacey takes a moment to think. She might as well be honest. She has lied to herself enough already about the entire situation. She looks away and then she looks him dead in his eyes. "No, I don't." Lacey says honestly.

"Then I'm not going." Danny replies flatly.

"But you have to. I feel like a traitor for even telling you I don't want you to go." Lacey says.

"And why is that?" Danny asks.

"Because she wants you." Lacey replies.

"And I want you." Danny says.

"I have to go." Lacey says as she tries to walk away but he grabs her hand to pull her back. She immediately crashes her lips into his. She can feel him caressing her back as she leans her body into his. She's really enjoying the kiss, until she realizes that she probably shouldn't have kissed him. What about Jo? She pulls away from him and looks him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I have to go." She says as she practically runs away from him. "Enjoy your date." She calls back without turning around.

Danny realizes that he has to go on this date to squash any notions of him and her friend ever getting together. He hates to do it, but he feels he has no other choice.

* * *

Lacey bolted from the building and got into her car to get away from Danny. She was extremely mad at herself. She was mad that she told him she didn't want him to go out with Jo. She was even madder at herself for kissing him. Despite enjoying the kiss, and wanting so much more. As crazy as it sounds, she felt like she betrayed her best friend.

She drove straight home and made her way inside to her waiting cat, Daisy. Daisy seemed to look at her with disapproving eyes. Lacey really thought she must be losing her mind. She just fed Daisy and retreated to her room. She needed a long, hot shower immediately. She didn't even have an appetite. She was a little disgusted with herself. She took off her practice gear and headed straight for her bathroom. She got in her shower and stayed there for what felt like hours. Her skin had turned into a wrinkled mess, and the water was cold long before she realized it and she got out. She did her usual nighttime regimen of rubbing her body down with lotion to prepare for bed. It was barely 8:00, and she was already ready for bed. She tried to put the thought of Danny being out on a date with Jo out of her mind. Even though she knew he wasn't exactly thrilled about going, he could just be saying that to her to have his cake and eat it too. She didn't know him that well. He could want both of them.

Lacey was lying in her bed trying not to think about their date. Particularly after their date. Jo had plans to sleep with him. What man would turn that down? The thought almost made her sick. She heard her phone ring and really didn't feel like being bothered, but decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello." Lacey said. She really isn't in the mood for conversation.

"Lacey? It's me. Did Danny tell you if he'd be late?" Jo asks.

Lacey sits up in her bed. He's not standing her up, is he? "No. He didn't say anything to me." Lacey says. That isn't the truth at all, but she can't tell Jo that.

"Well, I'm here at the restaurant, and he hasn't called me or anything. You did give him my number, didn't you?" Jo asks.

"No, I didn't. I thought he already had your number." Lacey replies truthfully.

"No, he said he'd get it from you. Maybe he isn't coming." Jo says and Lacey hears the disappointment in her voice.

"He must've forgotten. Maybe he's just running late. He did have to get ready after practice." Lacey offers as a suggestion.

"Alright, then. Well, I'll wait a little longer. I'll talk to you later." Jo says before she hangs up.

Lacey places her phone back on her nightstand and lays back down. Just another thing for her to worry and wonder about.

* * *

Danny felt a sense of dread as he drove to the restaurant. He did not want to go on this date with, Jo is it? He's so uninterested, he barely remembers her name. He purposely took his time and arrived there late. As he walked up to the entrance, he strongly hoped that she got tired of waiting and went home. He again felt dread and was hugely disappointed when he saw her sitting on the couches in the front of the restaurant. She was extremely happy to see him. He noticed the revealing red dress she had on and hoped what he was thinking didn't show on his face. She had on red lipstick to match. He realized that without a doubt that he wasn't physically attracted to her at all.

"There you are. I thought you were standing me up." Jo said as she stood up and smiled seductively at him.

"No. I was just running late and I forgot to get your number from Lacey to call you to tell you." Danny says.

"I know. I called her." Jo said.

"You talked to Lacey?" Danny asks.

"Yes. She seemed like she wasn't herself. You guys must have had a rough practice." Jo says.

Danny feels his heart sink at her mentioning Lacey. "What do you mean? She wasn't upset, was she?" Danny asks.

"No, not upset. She seemed...sad. I guess. I'll check on her later." Jo says as she again smiles up at him and grabs his arm.

That was all Danny needed to hear. "Jo, I don't want to have dinner." Danny says.

Jo takes that as a reason to get excited. "So, you want to skip dinner and head straight for dessert? I like that idea better. My place or yours?" Jo asks as she starts to rub circles on his hand.

"No, Jo. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work. I don't want to lead you on. But I can't have dinner or anything else with you. I'm sorry." Danny says.

Jo is shocked, hurt, and confused. How could he not want her? She just offered herself to him. What's wrong with him? "Why?"

"Because I don't want to. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to force something that isn't going to happen." Danny says.

Jo is mad now. "Are you kidding me? I just offered to sleep with you, and you don't want to? What's wrong with you?" Jo asks.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I don't want to sleep with you. I'm not attracted to you or interested in you in that way. I'm sorry." Danny says as an apology.

"Are you gay?" Jo asks. He must be gay if he doesn't want her. Or so she thinks.

"No, I'm not gay. I don't have to be gay to not be attracted to you." Danny replies.

"Well, something must be wrong with you if you're willing to turn down having sex with me." Jo says defiantly.

Danny smirks. "I can sleep with any woman I want. And i don't want to sleep with you. You really need to get over yourself." Danny says.

"I can't believe you're turning me down." Jo says.

"Well, believe it. You have a good night, Jo." Danny says as he walks away to head to his car.

Jo is too stunned to speak. She can't believe he rejected her.


	6. Chapter 6

Although Lacey was already in the bed and ready to go to sleep at any time, she had way too much running through her mind to drift off to slumber. She was thinking about Danny and Jo and their date. The date she didn't want Danny to go on. The date that Danny said he didn't want to go on. The date she felt like Jo had stolen from her, because he asked her out first. Though she didn't use that to her advantage the way that Jo would have. She should be the one out on a date with him. And she could have been. Had she said yes when he asked. But she was too busy trying to be a loyal and true friend. The way Jo stated without a doubt that Lacey wouldn't want him because she saw him first made her feel guilty. And hoodwinked. She knew with absolute certainty that Jo said that as a ploy to manipulate her. Jo was a pro at manipulation. Being an only child, an only female child that was a daddy's and mommy's girl. She learned very early how to say the exact thing to get someone to pity her to get what she wanted from them. Jo selfishly thought the world revolved around her. She thought that the sun didn't rise until she woke up. And she of course thought that because her parents told her that crap when she was younger. And she believed it. She still believed it to this day.

Lacey sat and thought about how easy Jo manipulated her. And it made her mad and sick at the same time. She knows that Lacey is a people pleaser, that cares what people think of her. Jo used that for her benefit and her benefit alone. She knew that Lacey wouldn't pursue Danny if she knew Jo was interested in him, even though he was much better suited for Lacey. She didn't care though. Jo thinks that if she wants something, she's supposed to have it. And again, everyone had her parents to thank for that. They both treated her like a princess, so Jo expected the world to treat her the same way. Even when it was clear that people weren't about treating her like royalty, she still expected it. And it made Lacey think of Rico. Rico did treat her like she was delicate glass or crystal. He worshipped the ground she walked on. And considering how self absorbed Jo is, it's preposterous to know that that means nothing to her. For some obscure reason, Jo thought she was too good for Rico, when realistically speaking, she would be lucky to have Rico. There isn't another man who will genuinely care about her the way he does. He has no intentions of hurting or using her, and yet somehow, that isn't good enough for Jo Masterson.

Lacey was thinking that they were probably sitting down and enjoying their meal by now. That Jo probably reached across the table and touched his hand several times. Hands that were soft and big. Hands that caressed her back. She pictured his lips on a glass. Lips that were just pressed against hers. Lips that she wanted to kiss again. She remembered the way his biceps flexed when he moved. And the way the veins popped in his arms. She remembered the tattoo he had on his arm and if he had any more. She wondered what he looked like with his shirt off. She wondered if he had hair on his chest. And then she thought of how Jo would find all of that out shortly. It was enough to make her scream. Or cry. Even though he said he wasn't happy about going on that date, she knew it was a done deal for him and her if Jo made it known that she was interested in having sex with him. Single men don't turn down sex. And not with wanting women offering it. It was bound to happen.

It was times like this when she wished that Clara was around. Although Clara wouldn't want to hear it. She wouldn't necessarily say, "I told you so," but she would definitely let Lacey know that there wasn't any reason for her to be upset because she allowed it to happen. Clara has no time for self loathing and pity. Which is why she never really cared that much for Jo. And Jo is the queen of, I'm hurt and that's all that matters and you'd better coddle me and feel sorry for me because my feelings are important. Jo truly felt like the world owed her something simply because she existed in it. And Clara hated that. She didn't even understand why she and Lacey were friends. Opposites do attract, but Lacey and Jo are like night and day. Clara didn't see how Lacey put up with her when all she wanted to do was smack her. Even at three years younger than Lacey and Jo, Clara saw Jo truly for what and who she is. And she didn't like her. She didn't go out of her way to be mean to her, only out of respect for Lacey though. If Lacey wasn't Jo's best friend, she would have given Clara a reason show Jo just how much she didn't like her.

It was pointless though. It was getting late. They were probably heading to one of their homes right now. Lacey put that image out her mind and she finally drifted off to sleep.

Lacey didn't sleep well and she hoped that it didn't show on her face when she awoke the next morning. She didn't want to head into work with bags under her eyes. When she went into her bathroom, she looked in the mirror and prayed she didn't have the bags she was worried about weren't under her eyes. And luckily she didn't have any. She just took off her nightgown and got in the shower. And while she was in there, her body reminded her that she didn't eat dinner. She got out of the shower and dressed quickly in a tan and brown printed wrap dress and brown pumps. She headed downstairs to eat because her stomach demanded it. While she was eating, she thought of what it might be like when she was around Danny again. She just wondered how they would handle the aftermath of that kiss. She hoped that they could just move on from it like normal adults should. She was still mad at herself for kissing him. That was a moment of weakness she hoped to never have occur again. Maybe she needed another man to occupy her time and her thoughts. She had plenty of options. Maybe it's time she gave one of those guys a chance.

* * *

Lacey drove to school and once she arrived, she just sat in her car in the parking lot for few moments longer than she normally would. She just said a silent prayer to not let anyone or anything ruffle her feathers. In the less than 3 days since she has met Danny, she has been stressed out and that isn't a good thing. She was thinking too much and too hard. She was doing something she never did; feeling sorry for herself. Since she met Danny, she became Jo. And that isn't a good thing. She loved Jo, but the thought of being like her made her cringe. She wanted to return to the old Lacey. Starting now.

She got out of her car and practically waltzed into the building. She walked into the front office and smiled at and greeted everyone. She stood at the counter and signed in as usual. She didn't run into any of the group. She did run into Danny though. His face lit up when he saw her. She took in his appearance as she would anyone. She noticed that he had on khakis and a brown polo. The brown complimented his skin tone, his brown eyes and his dark hair, that was down. And as if by some weird coincidence, they matched. Oh, the irony.

"Good morning, Ms. Porter." Danny said excitedly. He was extremely happy to see her and to see that she didn't seem sad like he thought she would be.

"Good morning, Mr. Desai." Lacey said, matching his tone. She tried not to dwell on how happy he seemed. She guessed he enjoyed his date with Jo.

He playfully nudged her. "Look, we match." Danny said in a joking tone.

Lacey giggled despite herself. "I guess we do. Have a good day, Mr. Desai." Lacey said as she swept from the office. He again watched her leave. He had no idea, she wanted to get away from him immediately. She played her part perfectly.

Lacey made her way to her classroom, and did everything she normally does. She opened the windows to let the fresh air in. She then watered the plants in her classroom. When she finished, Jo entered the room and shut the door behind her. She seemed to be on cloud nine. Isn't that lovely.

"Hey, Lacey." Jo said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey Jo. How are you?" Lacey asks.

"I'm great! I had a wonderful time last night. Thank you so much for introducing us!" Jo says as she runs over to hug Lacey.

"You don't have to thank me. It was my pleasure." Lacey says.

"So, have a seat, and let me tell you about my date last night." Jo says as she grabs a chair from behind one of the desks and places it beside Lacey's desk.

Lacey reluctantly walks over to sit behind her desk. She isn't in the mood for this. Not in the mood at all.

"Ok. So, tell me about this date." Lacey says with fake enthusiasm.

"Well, you already know he was a little late. When he got there, he had a bouquet of flowers for me as an apology. Then we went and sat down and had dinner. I had tilapia and he had chicken. A couple of times, he reached across the table to touch my hand. It was very sweet. He even pulled me up to dance with him. It was great slow dancing. I placed my head on his shoulder. As we were dancing so close, I could tell how excited he was to be dancing with me. He suggested we get out of there. We went back to my place, and I guess you know what happened after that. The sex was amazing! It was the best sex I've ever had. He is an incredible lover." Jo says as she grins and leans back in the chair and fans herself while she smiles ear to ear. It's amazing how easy she was able to tell that lie.

Lacey took it all in. She felt like she had been hit with a ton of bricks. She needed Jo out of her face instantly. But she again had to play her part. She couldn't let Jo think she had any problem with what she just told her. "Wow. It sounds like you guys had the perfect evening." Lacey says.

Jo smiles. "Perfect isn't the word that I can use to describe the night I had." Jo says. And that's exactly right. The first truth she has told since starting her conversation with Lacey. Her night was not perfect at all. It was more like disastrous. But she's not telling Lacey that. And she knows that Lacey won't say a word so there's no way she will be found out.

Lacey felt like she had been shot with arrows. "I'm so happy for you." Lacey lies.

"And I know I don't have to tell you this, but can we keep this quiet? I don't want Regina to know how amazing he is." Jo says.

"Absolutely." Lacey says. There's no way she's discussing that with anybody. Well maybe Daisy and she doesn't count.

"Ok. Thanks. You're a terrific best friend. I hope you get this happy one day soon." Jo says.

"I am happy." Lacey says and she is. She just has this one problem that won't be a problem anymore.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Jo says as she stands and puts the chair back under the desk, "I'll see you lunchtime in Phoebe's room." Jo says.

"Ok. See you then." Lacey is glad that they're having lunch in Phoebe's room because it's upstairs and doesn't face the soccer field. And she prays that Danny doesn't take his classes outside while she's teaching. She luckily got her wish.

* * *

Lacey managed to avoid Danny the rest of the day. She was happy about that. She didn't know how she'd feel about seeing him after she knew he slept with Jo. But she had to face the inevitable and see him at practice. Though she had already planned to have practice in the gym, she would still have to see him. She changed into yoga pants and a tee and headed to the gym. The first thing she saw when she entered was Danny. She tried desperately to not pay him any attention. She didn't want to look at him and imagine his naked body in the bed with Jo. She hated that vision. She hated that she wished it was her naked body intertwined with his in a bed. Damn him and Jo for making her feel this way. But she would not let him or her know how upset, agitated and disgusted she really was about the situation.

He seemed authentically happy to see her. Maybe he was ready to charm her some more so that he could sleep with her too. "Hey, Coach Porter. How was your day?" Danny asks.

Lacey puts on a fake smile that shows her dimple. "My day was wonderful. How was yours, Coach Desai?" Lacey asks with fake concern. Of course he had a great day.

"It was pretty good, I guess. It would have been better if I had seen you before now." Danny says as he smiles at her.

Her smile never leaves her face. "Well, I'm here now." Lacey says.

"I can see that. My day just got better." Danny says.

Lacey has to force herself not to frown. "That's good to hear. Listen, I need the mats because we're practicing in here today. I have to work on flips with them." Lacey says.

"Ok. I'll start pulling them out." Danny says.

"Do you need help?" Lacey asks. She would offer to help even if she doesn't want to be close to him.

"No. I've got it." Danny says as he walks to the storage closet to begin pulling the mats out. Lacey again has to force herself to not look at his muscular arms and legs as he drags the mats out. She needed a distraction so she pulled out the folder she had with cheers printed out. She didn't need to study those papers but that was better than staring at him. She became so good at pretending to read that she didn't realize that he came up to sit next to her. Too close. "What are you reading?" Danny asks.

"Just trying to memorize some cheers. Do you need help setting up outside?" Lacey asks. It's the least she can do since he set up the mats for her.

"That would be nice." Danny says as he smiles at her.

"Got it." Lacey says a little harsher than she intended.

Danny picks up on her tone. "Are you ok?" Danny asks as he looks over at her.

"I'm fine." Lacey says as she's busy putting away her papers into her folder. She places them in her bag and stands. "Ready?"

"Yeah, sure." Danny says as he again picks up on how stiff and standoffish she has become. He thinks that she's maybe tense about that kiss they shared. He stands and they leave the gym and start to set up outside as the students start to arrive. They set up in silence and Danny makes a mental note to talk to her after they finish and the kids leave. Maybe they can go out to chat.

Lacey has practice with her cheerleaders and Danny has practice with his soccer players. After they finish, Lacey again helps Danny outside on the field before the work on the mats in the gym. This time, Lacey helps him with the mats and he knows that there really has to be something wrong with Lacey because of her actions.

"Lacey, talk to me. What's wrong?" Danny asks.

"Nothing is wrong." Lacey lies as she avoids eye contact with him.

"Yes there is something wrong. You're extremely tense and you're avoiding me. Is this about that kiss?" Danny asks, hoping she'll open up to him.

"Danny, that kiss was a mistake and I don't want to talk about it." Lacey says as she tries to walk away from him but he does like he did the previous day and stops her.

He looks down at her. "Why are you saying it was a mistake?" Danny asks.

"Because it was. Please just drop it." Lacey says.

"Does you saying it was a mistake have anything to do with Jo?" Danny asks as he's full of questions.

"I don't want to talk about you and Jo." Lacey says.

"Is that why you were sad last night?" Danny asks.

"What? Who says I was sad?" Lacey asks her own questions this time.

"Jo." Danny says.

Lacey scoffs and folds her arms. "She told you I was sad? Are you kidding me? You two really found time to talk about me on your date?" Lacey asks rapid fire questions.

"Yes she did. And there was no date." Danny says.

"I already told you I didn't want to talk about you and Jo. It's none of my business anyway. Let's just finish so we can leave, please." Lacey says as she finally breaks away from him blocking her and goes to pick up another mat.

Danny walks over to her. "What's none of your business?" Danny asks.

Lacey exhales. She doesn't want to talk about this but she will to get him to leave her alone. "Whatever you and Jo did during and after your date." Lacey says.

"There was no date, Lacey." Danny says.

"Well whatever you call it, it's none of my business." Lacey says again.

"Lacey, what do you think happened last night?" Danny asks.

Lacey exhales again sharply. "I think you had a really good time on your date and after." Lacey says.

Danny is finally starting to understand the situation. "What did Jo tell you?" Danny asks.

"Look, I don't really want to discuss this. It's fine though. I knew what the deal was from the beginning, so I'm ok with it." Lacey lies.

"Please stop talking in code and tell me what Jo told you." Danny says out of frustration.

She has no idea why he wants to hear it when he was there. Maybe he needs his ego stroked. And it's not like she's betraying Jo. He already knows. "She told me you brought her flowers because you were late. That you danced at the restaurant and that you went back to her place." Lacey says.

"She told you that?" Danny asks.

"No, I just made it up." Lacey says smartly.

"Lacey, none of that happened. I did get there late because I already told you that I didn't want to go. When I got there, she told me you sounded sad on the phone. I figured it was because you told me you didn't want me to go on a date with her. So I told her I didn't want to have dinner. She misunderstood and thought I just wanted to sleep with her. When I turned her down and told her that nothing was going to happen between us, she accused me of being gay. So, you didn't make anything up, but she did." Danny says.

Lacey is highly confused. Somebody is obviously lying to her. She just doesn't know who. But her money is on Danny because she has known Jo for almost 20 years. "So, you expect me to believe that my best friend made all of that up? Why would she do that?"

'That's exactly what I'm saying. And I can kind of guess why she made it up." Danny says. "I didn't do anything with her and I never will." Danny says.

"I need time to think. I have to go." Lacey says as she grabs her bag to leave. To hell with those gym mats. She bolted from the gym and the building.

Danny was a little upset about her running away from him yet again. And he would put a stop to that right now.

He ran to his office and got his keys. He was going to follow her home.


	7. Chapter 7

Lacey pretty much ran to her car. She needed to get away. She needed to be alone to reflect. She desperately needed to think. Nothing made sense. Somebody was clearly lying to her. And why? She didn't need this. Her money is still on Danny though. He has reason to lie to her. He has something to gain from lying to her. But what's the point? Yeah, he could just be a sleazy, scumbag teacher that wants to run through the female population of teachers at that school. That could be his angle. She didn't know anything about him. He was a mystery. He just showed up with his gorgeous hair, and his goatee, and his muscles, and his charm and charisma, and was making his rounds. And of course she now thought she was a pawn in his twisted little game because she turned him down, yet he wouldn't go away. He asked her out in 10 seconds flat. Who does that? Only him of course. He used that hair, and those muscles, and those lips, and his unbelievable good looks to his advantage. He must have smelled the desperation a mile away. Why else would he choose a town like Green Grove? He must have done his research and found out that Green Grove Middle was full of lonely, and single women. And while Lacey wasn't at all lonely, she fit the bill.

She drove home with so many thoughts running through her head. She still drove carefully, but that was the fastest she had ever gotten home from work. She wondered if she had broken the speed limit on her way home. Lacey felt like everything was happening at once, like she had opened a joke can of worms thinking it was something else. All she needed to know was why someone felt the need to lie to her. She's a fairly honest person. She didn't lie as a habit. She sometimes omitted things to spare the other person's feelings. But now, she was full on being lied to. She didn't like, appreciate, or understand that. At all.

She drove with a thousand images and scenarios in her head. The first one was her original thought that Danny wanted to be Green Grove Middle's Casanova or Romeo. That he wanted to go through as many women as possible, regardless of the women being friends. He somehow wanted to start with her, and make his way around. However, he didn't get to start with her because she turned him down, even though she was still in the running. Jo became the first "victim" and she had no idea she was being used. If he was trying to be Romeo, Lacey had no desire to be Juliet. The second scenario is something that she really didn't even want to consider. That Danny is telling the truth, and Jo lied to her to her face. Lacey didn't want to believe that. She never really pegged Jo as a liar, but she knows that human beings can become capable of just about anything. And if Jo did lie to her so easily, why would she do that? Lacey though of many reasons why as she drove to her house. She was so lost in thought that she had no idea Danny was following her in his car. Probably because she didn't exactly know what kind of or what color car he drove. That worked to his advantage.

Lacey pulled up in front of her house and almost ran in. She needed to de-stress immediately. She walked into the house and Daisy was waiting. Lacey knew for certain that she'd share much with Daisy tonight. She walked into her kitchen and fed Daisy. She was removing her tee-shirt and walking towards her stairs when her doorbell rang steadily. She was wondering who it was. Whomever it was, wanted in immediately. Normally she would have put her tee-shirt back on, but she was wearing a sports bra and she thought it must really be one of her neighbors or one of her friends by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. She worked out in those all the time. It's really no different from a bathing suit top. She walked to her front door and opened it and couldn't believe her eyes. Danny was standing on her doorstep. This isn't happening.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Desai?" Lacey asks as she folds her arms in front of her as a way to shield herself from him.

"Mr. Desai? You can skip the formalities, Lacey. We're not at school." Danny says.

"Ok, what are you doing here, Danny?" Lacey asks and Danny doesn't like the way she said his name. Like it pained to her to say it.

"I'm here because we need to talk." Danny says.

"How did you find out where I lived?" Lacey asks in annoyance.

"I followed you. I thought that was obvious." Danny replies.

"So, you think it's ok to just follow women you work with home?" Lacey asks.

"What other choice did I have?" Danny asks.

"I can think of a few other things you could have done beside follow me home. You could have waited to talk to me at school. Or you could have left it alone and we not talk at all." Lacey says.

"That isn't an option. We need to talk. Alone. And in a space where you can't run away from me." Danny says as he tries to step into the house.

She puts her hand on his chest to stop him. She then realizes she probably shouldn't have touched his chest. It made her want to touch him more. And that can't happen. "I didn't invite you in." Lacey says defiantly.

He steps forward to invade her personal space. "Do you want me to leave?" Danny asks.

Lacey thinks for a moment. He actually went out of his way to follow her, he's bound to do it again. And now he knows where she lives. Better to get this out in the open and clear the air now. She steps aside to let him in as her answer. She immediately felt like a fool as he walked past her. And she suddenly felt self-conscious and very naked standing in front of him in just yoga pants and a sports bra. But she thought she'd be putting on a show if she put the shirt she laid on her couch back on. Daisy suddenly came out of the kitchen and went to Danny and rubbed on his leg. All Lacey could think that was that she was indeed a traitor too. She then went and sat in her normal spot on Lacey's chair as if she was chaperoning their conversation.

Lacey still had her arms folded as she sat down. "Have a seat." She says. After he's seated on the couch across from her, Lacey leans back in her chair. "So talk."

"I see that you're upset." Danny says.

Lacey grins at him. "Nope." Lacey says.

"Really?" Danny asks.

"Yes. I'm not upset at all." Lacey lies.

"If you aren't upset, then come and sit next to me." Danny challenges.

Lacey smiles again and shakes her head. "I don't think that's a good idea." Lacey says.

"Why?" Danny asks as he makes himself comfortable.

"Because I think it's best if you stay over there and I stay over here." Lacey says honestly. There isn't anything that can really stand in their way. Well, there's Jo, but Lacey isn't focusing on that. No matter what, Jo had him first and she didn't want anything to do with him after that.

Danny decides to stop trying to unravel her and just jump into the main reason he came over, "I didn't sleep with Jo, Lacey." Danny says truthfully as he waits to see what she's going to say next.

"I don't believe you." Lacey says flatly.

"Why not?" Danny asks.

"Why should I?" Lacey answers his question with a question.

"Because I'm telling you the truth, Lacey." Danny says as he locks eyes with her.

Lacey sits up straighter and leans forward. "Ok. Let's just say I believe you. Why would Jo lie to me?" Lacey asks.

"I guess to save face. She really didn't like me rejecting her. Or to keep us apart. I don't know. She's your friend. You tell me why she would lie to you." Danny says.

"There is no us." Lacey says.

"Yeah, because you keep fighting it and me." Danny says.

"I'm not fighting anything. There can never be an us." Lacey replies.

"Why?" Danny asks.

"Because I don't want to." Lacey says.

"Then why are you so upset?" Danny asks.

Lacey smiles again and shakes her head. "I'm not upset Danny."

Danny sighs. "Lacey, I've been nothing but honest with you, so I'd appreciate the same courtesy. I want to know why you're upset about thinking I slept with Jo."

"I would really rather not tell you that." Lacey says honestly. She can't tell him she wishes it was her instead of Jo.

"Well, I'm not leaving until you tell me why." Danny says.

"Are you insane?" Lacey asks Danny incredulously.

"Absolutely not. And you should already know that. I doubt they'd let me around kids if I was insane." Danny says.

"Well, you must have faked it somehow. You have to be crazy to think you're not going to leave here until I tell you what you want to hear." Lacey says.

"Well then call me crazy and get used to me staying here, because I'm not leaving." Danny says as he looks around. "I think I can get used to living here. You're going to have to get used to me walking around naked, since these are the only clothes I have."

"Ok, you don't have to go that far. I could just call the cops and have you removed." Lacey says. She isn't going to do that but maybe he'll think she will and leave.

"You're not going to do that and you know it, Lacey. The sooner you tell me the truth, the sooner I can leave. You're making this harder than it has to be." Danny says.

Lacey exhales sharply as she wonders what her telling him the truth will mean. Nothing. It will mean nothing. "I was upset because I wished it was me instead of her. And now that you have your answer, you can leave now." Lacey says as she stands and walks over to the door and opens it. Danny reluctantly stands and walks over to the door. He startles Lacey by picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and kicking the door closed with his foot. He heads straight up the stairs . "Danny! Put me down!" Lacey screams to no avail as he continues to carry her up the stairs. The way he just carried her up the stairs so easily excited and aroused her. He stopped to look around once he got to the top and went in what could only be her bedroom. He went in and placed her gently on the bed. Lacey sat up and leaned on her shoulders to just look at him. "This isn't funny, Danny. I asked you to leave." Lacey says.

"You can't really expect me to leave after telling me something like that." Danny says as she starts to remove his shirt.

Lacey puts her hand up. "Don't take your shirt off!" Lacey practically yells.

His tee-shirt is already around his neck and then he pulls it completely off. "Too late." Danny says. Lacey takes in the appearance before her. He has hair on his chest and he has a treasure trail leading to his crotch. She notices that he has another tattoo on his side right near his rib cage. Wow. She watched him kick his sneakers off and watched in awe as he pulled his shorts down, although she didn't want to look. Once he removed his shorts completely, she took in the boxer briefs he had on and she could unmistakably see the outline of his semi erect penis. She knew without a doubt that he was well endowed. She did not want to look and she wanted to reach out and touch him at the same time. She shouldn't look. But she had to. It was like an automobile collision or train wreck. She wanted to look away, but her eyes forced her to watch him undress. When he climbed on top of her and she allowed her body to make complete contact with her mattress, she still hadn't fully come to her senses. His lips connected with hers in the same feverish fashion as the previous day. They continued to kiss as their lips and tongues moved languidly. He broke the kiss and smirked at her. That look only meant one thing. He raised up on his knees to remove her sneakers and more easily than he should have been able to, removed the yoga pants she was wearing. He retreated to his former position on top of her and started to kiss her again. She felt his engorged penis press against her thigh. The penis that was just inside her best friend. She had to stop. They couldn't, she shouldn't do this.

Lacey pulls away from him. "Danny, Danny stop. Please. We have to stop. I can't do this." Lacey says.

He immediately moves from on top of her to beside her and just stares at the ceiling in a daze and silence for several minutes. Lacey felt raw, naked, vulnerable, and exposed. Her mind had beaten her body in this debate. She didn't know which one to hate. Her mind for overpowering her body or her body for being too stupid to listen. She felt like a foolish and confused teenager. She was grown for crying out loud. And that still didn't make it right.

"I'm sorry, Danny." Lacey said.

"It's fine, Lacey. I get it." Danny says in a tone Lacey isn't too sure she wants to ask about.

"You do?" Lacey asks. She doesn't really want to explain that she won't sleep with him because Jo already did. There are some things that that best friends shouldn't share. This is one of them.

"Yes. I get that even though I didn't sleep with your friend, she still managed to screw me." Danny says in a tone that makes her think he's actually telling the truth. He spoke of Jo with resentment and disgust in his voice.

"Please don't be mad at me. I know it sucks, but my friend is important to me." Lacey says.

He turns to face her. "I'm not mad at you. It shows me that I was right about you from the very beginning. I don't want to say anything bad about your friend, but you are a much better woman than she is." Danny says.

Lacey forces herself to swallow. "Thanks. I guess." Lacey says.

They laid there in silence for an unforeseeable amount of time. He made no effort to leave and she made no effort to ask him to leave. It felt especially nice just to lay in each other's company for the time being. Lacey's thoughts were getting the best of her. She was starting to doubt herself and her friendship with Jo. She had an eerie feeling that Danny was indeed being truthful to her, and Jo had not been. She knew that she needed to get to the bottom of things before anything occurred between her and Danny.


	8. Chapter 8

After spending more time together, Danny decided it was time for him to leave. He and Lacey both stole glances at each other as they dressed. The walk from her bedroom to downstairs was pretty somber. Danny kissed her on her forehead as he reached for the door. They both conveyed what they were feeling without words. When he was finally gone, Lacey really felt like she had missed out on something. Once again, she felt sad, drained, and sorry for herself. She was not used to feeling this way and needed to put an end to it. Lacey just walked into her kitchen and prepared dinner for herself and she made sure to fix enough for her to take as her lunch the next day. She ate her dinner without even enjoying it. She cleaned up and retreated to her sanctuary. It was a bubble bath kind of night again. She again let the water run cold. She let that out and refilled the tub. The entire time she was in there, she thought of Danny. And how complicated things had become. And things really didn't have to be that way. She was dwelling on a missed opportunity, actually two missed opportunities. First the date, and then the sex. She appreciated how understanding he was about both situations. However, she knew that she would most likely not get those opportunities again. At least not with him. He probably thought it wasn't worth the hassle. And then her mind went back to Jo and how all of this came to fruition in the first place. From the moment she ran into Lacey's classroom, she had been the great puppet master. She had strung her and Danny along. And for what? Because she saw him first. Well what about Lacey? She actually kissed him first. A kiss has more weight and bearing than a glimpse. But now Lacey had the burden of knowing and accepting that Danny and Jo slept together. Or did they? Lacey knew that she would normally let it go, but it's bothering and affecting her too much. She needs the absolute truth, no matter what it is. She felt like going overboard by inviting them both over to her house as an ambush, and getting them in the same room at the same time, and demanding answers. Yes, Lacey felt like she had the right to demand answers. Jo made her demands. She could do the same. And then Lacey had to think of what that would really mean about her friendship with Jo. Was it worth ending it? They had been friends for so long. Lacey hated to think that a man would end all of that. But as sad and as true as some people really think it is, the easiest way to get in between two women, is to stick a man between them. Lacey thought that their friendship was better and stronger than that. And she hoped she wasn't wrong in her assumptions.

Lacey finally got out of the tub and went over her night-time routine of covering her body completely with lotion. Her mother always told her the benefits of doing that. And as she proceeded to go over her regimen, she thought of how badly she wished and wanted Danny there to completely rub her body down with his hands. Had she not stopped what was going to occur, she could have him doing just that right now. She yearned and longed for his touch. In the short amount of time she has known him, she somehow became infatuated with him. If it weren't for Jo, it might be a full on obsession. Even though she knew nothing about him, he seemed to be everything that she was looking for. She reverted back to thinking that she didn't need to be with another teacher. And that she wouldn't find a perspective husband at the school she worked at. But there he was. In all of his glorious splendor. All 6 feet of him. All of the things that insanely attracted her to him like his hair, his goatee, his eyes, his lips, his smile, his muscular and toned body, the hair on his chest that she wanted to bury her face in, his smell, his smile, his charm, his sense of humor, even the tattoos that she never really gave much thought too, though she wondered the stories behind some people's. Lacey pretty much liked and adored everything about him. The way he never hesitated or beat around the bush to say what he was thinking or ask for what he wanted. Lacey found it refreshing. He was like the yin to her yang, because Lacey wouldn't just say the things that are on her mind the way Danny does. She found him to be really forward and somewhat aggressive but not harshly so. She liked his mildly cocky attitude, though he wasn't at all conceited. She saw that he was genuinely hurt when she turned down his advances. And now Lacey was actively thinking of ways to dig herself out of the hole she had pulled herself into. Does she apologize? Or does she ask him for a fresh start? She felt like both of those things could be done fairly easily. She would try that as soon as she could. But after she found out the truth.

* * *

Lacey felt a lot better when she woke up the next morning than she did the previous day. She saw the day as a new beginning. She oddly felt like she did that day she met Danny. She wonders if the way she's feeling now will have anything to do with him. She walked into her closet and felt the need to wear something brightly colored to match her cheery mood. She chose a fuchsia scoop neck short, but not too short, a line dress and fuchsia and black zebra print pumps. Lacey is hands down the best dressed teacher at Green Grove Middle School. She packed her practice bag and headed downstairs to a waiting Daisy. She again looked at Lacey with disapproving eyes. Daisy probably looked like that all of the time, but Lacey tried to humor herself. She was judging her own decisions, and they weren't good. But she wasn't going to dwell on it any longer. She just fed Daisy, grabbed her lunch from the fridge, and headed out. It was a pretty September morning again and Lacey appreciated that because pretty soon, that would not be the case.

Lacey drove to work with her radio playing as she sang along. She had a feeling the day would be a good one. When she pulled up into the parking lot, she saw Sarita getting out of her car. The smallest person she knew with the biggest bite. Most people didn't like or understand Sarita, but Lacey adored her. She held no punches. She reminded Lacey a lot of Clara. Her little sister was the same way. Never sugar-coated anything. The only difference was that Sarita was harsher than Clara. Clara said her sarcastic riddled comments and what everyone else was thinking, but afraid to say with humor. Sarita just went for the jugular and didn't care about your feelings. Lacey honked her horn as she parked near Sarita. By the time she was parked and out of her car with her things, Sarita was standing at her car. Sarita took in what Lacey was wearing.

"Hey Senorita! That dress and those shoes must be for sexy Coach Desai." Sarita says as she smiles.

Lacey smiled down at her shorter friend. "I don't dress for a man, Sarita." Lacey said, which is partly true. She kind of knew in the back of her mind that Danny would like, appreciate and comment on her outfit. And that's not her fault.

"Whatever you say, Lacey. I can't wait to see him practically undress you while Jo stands on wondering why he hasn't noticed her. It's an awesome thing to see. Just like the other day when she came in wearing a dress and sporting straight hair. She wasn't fooling anybody. I like that you do this flawlessly." Sarita admits honestly.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you are absolutely right. I haven't seen Jo wear a dress in years." Lacey says as she and Sarita approach the front door.

"She was clearly trying too hard. Carmen and I loved that." Sarita says.

Lacey giggles. "I remember." Lacey says as she and Lacey walk into the front office. They stand at the counter and just like clockwork, Danny walks in. Today he's wearing all black and his hair is down. Lacey felt a little weak in the knees.

Danny spoke to everyone. He then stood beside Lacey and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I like the dress and the shoes and I'd like to take it off of you later." Danny says.

Lacey giggles and blushes like a teenaged girl. "I'll see you at practice, Coach Desai." Lacey says as she turns to walk away and runs into Jo. "Oh, hey Jo. How are you this morning?" Lacey asks.

"I'm fine. And you?" Jo asks. Just then, Danny walks out of the office and walks past both women without uttering a word. Jo tried to hide her embarrassment and discomfort, but Lacey saw it. Jo leans forward and lowers her voice to a whisper. "He wants to keep it private." Jo says as she tries to grin but it looks like a grimace.

"Oh, I understand." Lacey says. "I understand perfectly. See you later, Jo." Lacey says as she drifts away.

Jo had a sinking feeling that Lacey knew she hadn't been truthful with her.

* * *

Jo made her way to her classroom to do what she needed to do before her students started to arrive. She was standing at her file cabinet getting a master copy of an assignment sheet she wanted to present to most of her students when her classroom door shut. It almost slammed actually, causing her to jump. When she turned around, she saw the person she didn't expect to see.

Danny.

She let out an irritated sigh. Imagine that. "Is there something I can help you with?" Jo asked, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Danny says as he walks towards her but keeps his distance. Anybody walking by wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"What is it? I don't have much time before my students start to arrive." She again speaks and it's clear that she's annoyed.

"I think you and I have a problem. A big one, actually." Danny says in a harsh tone.

Jo exhales. She actually has the audacity to be upset that he came to talk to her. "We do? And what's that?" She asks while feigning ignorance.

"You have become a problem for me and for Lacey." Danny says. He kind of liked her reaction at hearing Lacey's name.

"And how is that?" Jo asks as she places her hand on her hip.

"Well, Lacey is under the impression that she can't date or have anything to do with me because of her loyalty to you. And that's a problem for me." Danny says.

"And how is that a problem?" Jo asks again playing dumb.

"Because she feels like she'll be betraying you by going out with me. Which is strange because there's nothing going on between you and me." Danny says.

"What do you mean?" Jo asks.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. I asked Lacey on a date my first day here. Did she tell you that?" Danny can tell by her reaction that she didn't know that, but he still wants to hear her say it.

"No, she didn't." She actually tells the truth.

"And she declined. She told me that she didn't date her colleagues. And then she tried to set us up. Because she knew you were interested in me although she knew I am interested in her. So why are you trying to stand in our way?" Danny asks.

"I'm not." Jo lies.

"Well from where I'm standing, you are. So, she and I both have to suffer because you want a man you can't have." Danny says.

"Says who?" Jo asks defiantly.

"Me. I'm saying it. You can never have me. I tried to let you down easy, but you're not going away easy." Danny says.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jo asks.

"It means that Lacey has been upset because of your selfishness. I agreed to go out with you to make her happy, even though I didn't want to. Do you remember how late I was? Because I wasn't going to show up. But I did. To show Lacey and you that you and I will never work. And when I got there, when you told me that she was sad, I was not willing to hurt her any further by going on a date with you." Danny says.

Jo doesn't like Danny throwing Lacey up in her face this way. How dare he? "Why is Lacey so special? You don't even know her." Jo says.

"And clearly, you don't either because if you did, you wouldn't have to ask me that." Danny says.

"I think it's time for you to leave my classroom." Jo says.

"I'm not finished. And then you threw yourself at me and I turned you down. I know you remember that part."

Jo turns red from embarrassment. "Of course I remember." Jo says.

"Well if you remember, I need to know why Lacey is under the impression that you and I slept together." Danny says as a statement and a question.

Jo looks like a deer in headlights. She has the nerve to feel betrayed. "She told you that?" Jo asks incredulously.

"Yeah, because she again didn't want to do anything with me because she thought she would be betraying you. And please don't get mad at her for that. She should be the upset one. But I need you to refresh my memory. I know I didn't sleep with you. I don't ever get that drunk." Danny says.

"Look, you need to leave. Now!" Jo says. She's embarrassed and humiliated.

"Not until you agree to tell Lacey the truth." Danny says.

Jo again becomes defiant. "And what if I don't?" Jo asks.

"Lady, you don't know me well enough to make those kinds of threats." Danny says. He's right, she doesn't.

Jo weighs her options. "Fine." Jo snarls out her response.

"I'll see you at her classroom at lunchtime." Danny says as he finally leaves Jo's classroom.

Jo wishes she could find a hole to crawl in to die.

* * *

Lacey got through her first three classes fairly good. She hadn't seen Danny anymore since that morning. She was really enjoying her day. She was glad when lunchtime came around because she didn't eat breakfast and she was famished. She was collecting the papers from the desks in her classroom when she noticed a presence in her classroom. She looked up to see Danny and Jo walk in. Lacey's heart sank. Just like that, she was again instantly sad. Were they there to announce their relationship? Did they make it official? Lacey had the worst feeling in the pit of her stomach. She's on the verge of tears. She willed them not to fall. She'd fall apart later. She wasn't going to give either of them the satisfaction. And she would normally want to cry with her best friend. She now hated her best friend. And Lacey has made that statement before. Being friends with Jo Masterson for almost 20 years came with its challenges. She'd eventually get over it, but right now she hated her guts.

"What brings you two by?" Lacey asks innocently.

"We have something to tell you." Danny says. "Isn't that right, Jo?" Danny asks Jo who looks like she'd rather be having a root canal than be there.

Oh god. Here it is. She wanted the truth, but can she handle it. Can she handle the truth?

"Um...yeah." Jo says. She sounds like a scared little girl and Danny and Lacey are her parents.

Lacey smiles despite knowing she's about to receive bad news. It's like she found a suspicious lump and was waiting for the results from a doctor. She then thought that she was being a little too dramatic. "Ok. What is it?" Lacey asks expectantly.

"Jo, I think you have a few things you need to say to Lacey, your best friend." Danny says as he smirks. He then looks at Lacey and is a little taken aback by her beauty.

Jo folds her arms and looks away.

"What is it Jo? You know that you can tell me anything." Lacey says honestly.

"I lied to you." Jo says and tries to leave it at that.

Lacey looks surprised. '"About what?" Lacey asks.

Jo huffs.

'Tell her." Danny says sharply. He's not here to placate and coddle a grown woman. One who was bold enough to say that she slept with him when she didn't.

Lacey is a little confused by Danny's harsh nature. What is going on?

"I lied to you about the date I had with Danny." Jo says. She is being overly ridiculous acting like a spoiled child. That mess works on Tess and Kyle, and probably even Rico, but it won't ever work on Danny.

"And what else? You need to tell her the whole story." Danny says.

Jo goes into her whining and apologizing mode. And she has only just begun. "I'm sorry Lacey. I didn't have a date with Danny and we didn't sleep together." Jo says.

Lacey shakes her head in disbelief. She looks from Jo to Danny and back to Jo. "Why would you go through all of that? You made up an entire story, Jo. And for what?" Lacey asks.

"Because I was embarrassed! He didn't even give the date a chance. And he was supposed to be mine! I saw him first!" Her entitled, conceited, and selfish nature shine through.

"Are you kidding me?" Lacey yells. "You played me for a fool! And you used our friendship against me. How could you do that?" Lacey explodes and Danny is proud of her for standing up to her so-called friend.

"Look, I don't want to talk about this in front of him." Jo says as she leaves. The way she said him, was like nails on a chalkboard.

"I told you I was telling the truth." Danny says.

Lacey looks at him. She can't believe he went that far to prove himself to her. She walks up to him. "What did you do? Did you threaten her to get her to tell me the truth?" Lacey asks as she pokes his chest.

Danny is confused by her actions. He thought he did a good thing, but now he thinks he was wrong. She seems upset. "No, I didn't threaten her. I just told her she needed to tell you the truth." Danny says. He can't believe she's mad at him for that.

Lacey turns her head and then looks back at him. She just grabs his face as she leans up to kiss him on the lips. It felt good to kiss him without that dreaded weight hanging over her head. They both got completely involved in the kiss and Lacey felt Danny pick her up off her feet. She suddenly wished they were not at work. They start to slow the kiss and Danny lightly puts Lacey back on the floor.

"So, you're happy about what I did?" Danny asks as they break the kiss.

"Of course I'm happy about what you did." Lacey says.

"Good. Now will you go out with me, Ms. Porter?" Danny asks as he smiles down at her.

"I can't. I don't date my colleagues." Lacey says jokingly.

"Well then, I'll have to resign. I'm not passing this opportunity up." Danny says.

"No, you don't have to do that. I'll go out with you. But I have a request."

"Ok. I might just do anything you ask since you just made me the happiest man in the world. So, what is the request?" Danny replies.

"It's about what you said earlier and what you did yesterday." Lacey says as she puts her arms around his neck.

"And what's that?" Danny asks as he chuckles.

"You said you wanted to take this dress and my shoes off." Lacey says.

"Yes, I did say that." Danny says.

"Well, I want you to carry me up the stairs the way you did yesterday and do just that." Lacey says.

"Ok. But what about the date?" Danny asks.

"We can do that tomorrow." Lacey says.

"That's a deal, Ms. Porter." Danny says as he pulls her in for a kiss this time.


	9. Chapter 9

**First, I'd just like to warn the people that don't like to read sexual and mature content. The last chapter is full of that. So, if you need to skip that part, I understand. It's only in that last paragraph and it starts with *****five stars. You can read up until that part, and it should still be a satisfactory chapter for you. Thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys make me smile!**

* * *

After Danny and Lacey finished kissing, they decided to have lunch together, alone in her room. Lacey shared her lunch with him. She actually forgot all about having lunch with the girls. She knew that they probably wondered where she was. She figured Jo thought she didn't come because of her, and that's partly true because Lacey really didn't like Jo right now. They were supposed to have lunch in Regina's classroom, which really is the best room because she has working kitchen appliances in the section they used for Home Economics. She wondered if Jo even went. Sarita stopped past Lacey's room on her way back to her classroom. She was mildly surprised when she walked in the room and saw Lacey and Danny in there acting like two teenagers in love. Sarita reluctantly walked all the way in the room because she didn't want to intrude on anything.

"Hey. Am I interrupting anything, because I can come back?" Sarita asks.

Lacey was still grinnng. "No, it's fine Sarita. Lunch is over anyway." Lacey says.

Sarita looks from Danny to Lacey. "So what's going on?" Sarita asked hopefully. She wishes that Lacey came to her senses and forgot that nonsense Jo was spewing. She thinks she's right because Lacey and Danny both seem happy.

"We were just having lunch. And I don't think you two have been properly introduced. Danny Desai, this is Sarita Vasquez." Lacey says.

Danny extends his hand. "Nice to meet you. What do you teach?" Danny asks.

"Nice to meet you too. And I teach Spanish." Sarita says then she looks over at Lacey. "Where's Jo?" Sarita asks as she grins mischievously.

Sarita sees both Lacey and Danny frown. "She didn't come to lunch?" Lacey asks.

"Nope." Sarita says as she grins again.

"Well, I don't know where she is. Probably somewhere sulking. You know how she is." Lacey says.

"Yeah, I know how she is. I know she's forever whining about something. So what is it this time?" Sarita asks.

Lacey looks at Danny. "Let's just say she isn't too happy about being rejected, and that I'm no longer honoring her 'I saw him first, so he's mine' agenda anymore." Lacey says.

"That's good. You shouldn't have honored that crap in the first place. We teach middle school, we aren't in it. Who does she think she is?" Sarita asks.

"She thinks she's Princess Jo, her royal highness." Danny says and the women laugh because his depiction of her was spot on.

Suddenly, kids start arriving. Sarita leaves to head to her classroom, and Danny stops for a second before heading back to the gym.

"Thanks for lunch. I'll see you at practice." Danny says as he gives her a really subtle wink.

Lacey starts to blush. "Ok. See you later." Lacey says.

* * *

When Lacey's last class was over, she did what she normally does by straightening up her room and heading to the gym to change. She was anxious and excited about practice, but for a good reason this time. She no longer had to worry about Jo and her silly, juvenile demands. And she no longer had a reason to feel guilty about being attracted to Danny. They are both consenting adults and they owe Jo nothing. Lacey walked into the gym and saw Danny. She instantly lit up.

"Hello, Coach Porter." Danny says as he smiles at her.

Lacey smiles back. "Hello, Coach Desai. We're working indoors again today, so I need the mats again." Lacey says.

"Coming right up." Danny says as he goes to get the mats.

While Danny was getting the mats, Lacey just went and sat on the front row of the bleachers. She took that time to just think about the things that were going on in her life at that moment. While she already considered herself a happy person, she realized that Danny made her happier. It was hard for her to believe that she had only met him a few days ago. Things had changed drastically in her life. She was single, and not even looking for a partner. But him coming along made her realize that that's what she wanted. She wanted a relationship. And while she and Danny weren't exactly in a relationship, anything was possible. True, she was only committed to a date with him. And that request she made to him earlier. She laughed to herself thinking of how she asked him to do that. When he surprised her by picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom, she enjoyed it. And she's fairly certain that something would have happened, had she not stopped it. And the only reason she stopped it was because of Jo. Now he thinks of how she didn't have to do that. It was wasted time and a wasted opportunity. But Danny went above and beyond to prove to her that she needed to believe him. She's glad that he did that, although it made her question her friendship with Jo. What kind of friend does that? And she considered Jo to be her best friend. She lied to her like it was nothing. It made Lacey wonder what else she has lied to her about. And what if Danny was just one of those men that would have just let it go? She would still be trusting someone who wasn't truthful to her. And again, Lacey felt like it was a totally unnecessary thing to do. This all happened for a man. And Lacey didn't want to think that she had to choose between the two. She isn't that kind of woman. She won't end her friendship with Jo, but she'll definitely keep her eye on her and deal with her with a long-handled spoon. Lacey felt uneasy. She and Jo really did need to talk, woman to woman and friend to friend. Lacey got so lost in thought, she didn't realize that Danny had finished and was ready to do what he needed to do to start soccer practice.

"Are you ok?" Danny asks as he stands in front of her.

"I'm fine, I guess." Lacey says before she exhales. "I guess I'm just thinking that I really didn't know my best friend as well as I thought I did." Lacey says.

Danny takes this moment to sit down next to her. "Well, I don't think all is lost. I just think you two really need to have a talk. I definitely don't want to be the reason a life long friendship has to end." Danny says sincerely.

"But that wouldn't be your fault and I don't want you to feel like it is. But I never thought Jo would go that far, you know?" Lacey replies.

"I get what you're saying, although I don't know her that well. I just can't imagine anybody acting that way to a friend. And she almost made you pass up a good thing." Danny says.

Lacey smirks, taking in his last statement. "So you consider yourself a good thing?" Lacey asks innocently.

Danny looks over at her and gives her a weird look. "You'll see." Danny says as he stands and heads to the field leaving Lacey to wonder what exactly 'you'll see' means.

* * *

Lacey again worked on flips and cheers with her girls as she called them. She also made them practice doing small pyramids. Her squad isn't that big, but she wouldn't have them doing any huge or unnecessary stunts anyway. The first two times they made one, they pretty much folded like a house of cards. Lacey didn't mean to laugh, but she's in a very giddy mood now. The girls all had their fun laughing at themselves too, but they eventually got the hang of it. Lacey was sure that the cheerleaders would do an excellent job cheering for the Green Grove Gators.

And Danny was doing an awesome job with the boys. He really taught them how to have more control of the ball. He showed them how to better pass the ball to a teammate, and how to steal the ball from opposing teams. Maybe the fact that Danny is a lot younger and more active than Coach Chandler was, but the guys really loved his hands on coaching skills. In that short period of time, the boys became better players. Even the parents were starting to notice. And by no coincidence at all, a lot more mothers came to watch practice. It was of course to gawk at Danny. He wasn't oblivious or turned a blind eye to what was going on, but it didn't faze him at all. He wouldn't date the mother of one of his players anyway, but he wasn't interested in any other woman but Lacey.

Lacey always finished with the girls first, so today she went outside to watch the rest of the soccer team's practice. Lacey got a first hand view of the women standing around and looking at Danny. She really couldn't blame them, thought she felt a very small tinge of jealousy. But she decided that was pointless. Lacey doesn't have to be jealous of any woman on this planet. Besides, she and Danny were only dating. She of course realized and understood just how attractive Danny was to the opposite sex, and Lacey is equally attractive. But to actually see what these women were doing, was a bit jarring. She never remembered that happening with Coach Chandler. So, Lacey just sat back and watched until Danny walked up to her.

"I see you have a fan club." Lacey says innocently.

"Who, me?" Danny questions while pretending to be unaware of his "fan club" as Lacey called it.

"Don't get cute with me, Coach Desai. I've never seen this many mothers at a practice before. And that's all because of you. I see they came out in droves to check out the sexy new soccer coach." Lacey says, immediately wishing she hadn't used the word sexy.

Danny instantly formed a grin. He leaned closer to her. "You think I'm sexy?" Danny asks.

Lacey bats her eyelashes and smiles. "Maybe." Lacey says.

"Well, maybe, I think you're sexy too." Danny says, totally unaware that he has all but forgotten about coaching the team and that a lot of eyes are on them. Neither one of them comes out of their daze until a ball sails their way, getting their attention. Lacey again focused on his lips as he blew into the whistle. They both looked up to see that the ball obviously came from Jason Rogers, Lacey's schoolboy crush, who was glaring at Danny. And the mothers were throwing knives at Lacey with their eyes.

"I'm going back into the gym." Lacey says as she walks away, mildly embarrassed.

As if out of habit, Danny watches her walk away. Danny decides he needs to end practice soon. Twenty minutes later, Danny does just that. He again notices that Jason Rogers is glaring at him. Danny finally understood why. He had to chuckle to himself about that. As he's walking the field to collect the soccer balls and place them in the net bag, Troy Benson's mother walks up to him.

"Hello, I'm Amy Benson, Troy's mom. It's nice to meet you." She says as she extends her hand.

Danny extends his hand graciously. He's always happy to meet his players' parents. He likes having good relationships with their families. "It's nice to meet you too." Danny says as he smiles at the woman.

"I don't usually do this, but I was wondering if you'd like to get a cup of coffee or something sometime?" Amy asks hopefully.

"I'm sorry, but I don't like to mix business with pleasure. I like to keep my interaction with parents on the field, and on the field only. I hope you understand." Danny says.

Amy turns red from embarrassment. She stammers out, "Of course. I understand." She then scurries away.

Danny heads into the gym to find Lacey already starting to put the mats away with a smirk on his face. It causes Lacey to stop what she's doing to talk to him. "What's with the face?" Lacey asks.

"I think Jason is a little upset with me. And I think it has to do with you." Danny says as he heads over to take the mat she dropped and drags it into the storage room and quickly comes back out. He's starting to get anxious.

Lacey shrugs it off. "He has a harmless little crush on me. Don't pay it any attention." Lacey says as she grabs another mat and Danny does the same.

"Of course I won't. I can't say I blame him though." Danny admits.

"What?" Lacey asks as she stops again. He's making her antsy.

"If I had a teacher that looked like you, I would have been in love too." Danny says.

"Oh, really? Well, you should know that several of my female students want to marry you. And I can't say that I blame them either." Lacey says as she walks toward him.

"I accept." Danny says.

"You accept what?" Lacey asks.

"Your marriage proposal. I accept." Danny says.

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself, Coach Desai. We haven't even gone on a date yet. And we just met a few days ago." Lacey says.

"I have to remind myself of that, because it feels longer. And the date would have already happened if you hadn't turned me down." Danny says.

"I'll make it up to you." Lacey says.

"How?" Danny asks as he again puts that adorable smirk on his face.

"You'll see." Lacey says.

"Those are my words, Ms. Porter. You'll have to come up with your own." Danny says as he starts to walk towards Lacey and back her into the wall. He surprises her by picking her up and pinning her against the wall. She instinctively wraps her legs around his waist.

"What's this for?" Lacey asks as she places her arms around his neck and starts to play in his hair.

"Oh, nothing. I've just wanted to pin you against the wall since the first time I laid eyes on you." Danny says as he pecks her lips.

"Really?" Lacey asks as she continues to play in his hair and gives him a kiss.

"Yes, really. I've wanted these legs wrapped around me since I bent down in front of you to pick your things up." Danny says as he takes one of his hands to caress her backside.

"Just like I've wanted to play in your hair since the first time I saw you." Lacey says.

"Yet you kept running away from me and turning me down." Danny says as he moves his hand from her backside to her thigh.

"Well, I'm not running anymore. I kind of can't since you have me pressed against the wall." Lacey say.

"Are you ready, Ms. Porter?" Danny asks expectantly.

Lacey plays dumb. "For what?" Lacey asks.

Danny smirks. "You'll see." Danny says.

* * *

*********After they finished what they had to do in the gym and on the field, they both made their way to their cars. Danny again followed Lacey home, but this time she wasn't trying to get away from him. Lacey was excited and nervous. She wondered if they were moving too fast. She put that thought out of her mind because they are both consenting adults. She knew the major and main things she needed to know. Yeah, she met him a few days ago but they weren't going to get married or anything. They were just going to do what a lot of adults do. If it ended, hopefully they could both move on quietly and peacefully. And if it happened to turn into more, then that would be wonderful. She hadn't planned on meeting anybody, but here he was. There wasn't any reason for her to deny him or it.

Lacey pulled up in front of her house as Danny pulled up behind her. They walked into the house together and Daisy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Lacey. It's like she knew they were headed for the stairs.

"I have to feed her. Do you need anything while I'm in the kitchen?" Lacey asks.

"No. I don't need anything from the kitchen." Danny says as he looks at her dead on.

"Well, ok. You can go upstairs if you want. I'll be right up." Lacey says as she puts her bag on the couch and heads to the kitchen and Danny heads upstairs. Lacey puts out food for Daisy and heads up the stairs to her bedroom. She walks into her bedroom and finds Danny just sitting on her bed. Even though she lives alone, she still shut the door.

Danny wondered why she shut the door. "You do live alone, right?" Danny asks.

"Yes, why?" Lacey asks as she walks into her closet to take her sneakers off and comes right back out.

"Then why did you shut the door?" Danny asks.

"So my cat won't wander in here." Lacey says as she starts to undress. She watched him as he watched her. He didn't make any movements but his eyes took over her form until she was completely naked in front of him. "I'm going to take a shower and I need you to help me." Lacey says as she walks past him and into her bathroom. Danny immediately stood up to start taking his clothes off and left them in a trail to Lacey's bathroom. Lacey had already entered her shower and had the water running by the time he came in. She watched as he walked towards her and she really got aroused at the sight of his penis swinging against his thigh as he walked towards her. He opened the glass shower door and stepped in. He immediately went to Lacey and grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss as he pressed her up against the shower wall. He pulled back from her and just slightly grazed over her exquisite naked form.

He seductively licked his lips. "Are you sure you're really ready for this, Lacey?" Danny asks as he continues to press his naked wet body against hers.

"I'm standing here completely nude with you. I think we've passed the point of no return." Lacey says as she looks directly into his eyes. "I want this. And I want you." Lacey says as she pecks his lips and reaches past him for her shower sponge and pours body wash onto it. "Can you wash my back?" She asks as she holds the sponge up to him and turns around. He takes the sponge and completely covers the whole back of her body with the soap. With the sponge still in his hand, he presses her forward against the wall and presses himself up against her. He takes his free hand and reaches around her to start to caress her lower lips as he slowly parts them and lets a finger slide inside of her. He continues to finger her until he takes his thumb to make circular motions with his thumb to her clitoris. He heard her moan at his actions. He stops suddenly and turns her around to wash the front of her body. He never breaks eye contact with her as she gently washes her entire body. He paid special attention to her most sensitive areas by rubbing the sponge slowly and repeatedly over her nipples. He puts the sponge away and pours body wash into his hand to wash her vaginal area. After Lacey could barely stand his hands on her anymore, she had to pull his hand away. "Now it's your turn." Lacey says as she grabs the discarded sponge and adds body wash and starts wash his body. Lacey didn't think she could get turned on any more than she already was, but Danny just oozed sexiness through his pores and it intoxicated her. She really got an up close and personal view of his body, and she really thought someone must have molded him because he was perfectly built. The way he had muscles and veins that popped when he moved, and hair in all the right places. The water mixing with the soap suds and running down his body and making the hair lay down was extremely sensual to her. And she hadn't even gotten to the treasure that was below his waist yet. She did exactly as he did and put the sponge away and poured body wash into her hand to wash his penis and his balls. His penis twitched in her hand when she touched it. The veins running through his thick penis made her mouth water. She continued to stroke it and stroked his balls with her other hand. It felt like it had gotten harder and bigger in her hand.

Suddenly Danny pulled her hand away and reached to turn the shower off. "Let's go." Danny says as he locks eyes with her. He opens the shower door and they step out. Lacey grabbed a fluffy towel for them to dry off, but Danny just grabbed her and picked her up. The towel slipped from her grasp as she wrapped her legs and arms around him. He walked from the shower to her bed. Normally Lacey would have cared about getting her expensive comforter wet, but right now she didn't care. She was about to have sex with the sexiest man on earth. Danny laid her in the middle of the bed and laid on top of her to kiss her. Lacey took the chance to free his hair from the bun it was in. She as really going to run her hands through his hair like she desperately wanted to. He raised up off of her and opened her thighs slowly before he dove his head between her legs. Lacey called for Jesus as she felt his tongue connect with every area in her v shaped region. She felt him lick her lips before he licked and sucked on her clitoris. He then went down to suck on her opening. She had never had anybody do that to her and it was one of the best feelings in the world. As superficial as it sounds, She thinks she fell in love with him right then and there. He further surprised her when he trailed his tongue from her opening to her asshole. It was quick, which made her believe that he did it by mistake. And then he did it again. And again. That let her know that it wasn't an accident. She never thought she'd be the kind of woman to like something like that. But she did. She really did. Her hands were like a vice grip on his hair and she hoped she wasn't hurting him. He raised up from between her legs and climbed on top of her and entered her slowly. The girth of his penis filled her up and Lacey felt like she was in Heaven. Danny started to grind his hips into her with his own rhythm. Lacey matched his speed and each thrust as they continued to enjoy being with each other for the first time. Without pulling out of her, Danny put himself into a seated position and Lacey wrapped her legs around his back. He started a new pace and rhythm that Lacey really couldn't get enough of. She felt herself nearing the brink. She felt her walls tighten and constrict and she let out the biggest orgasm of her life. Her juices flowed so freely, they ran down Danny's penis and onto his thighs. She was trembling and feeling what could only be described as an earthquake in her vagina. That's something else she had never experienced before. Lacey had a feeling Danny would finish soon, but that was not the case. Seemingly out of nowhere, Danny stopped what he was doing and laid Lacey down gently before he got up and made his way to her headboard. He was still fully erect with no sign of stopping. He sat up and angled his body on her pillows. He patted his thighs as a signal for her to come and ride him. She climbed on top of him and slid down his thick length before she started to ride him. He took time to suck on her nipples as she was riding him. He then took his thumb to make rotating motions to her clitoris. The combination of that, his size, and the fact that he knew what to do with what he given, sent Lacey over the edge again. Moments later, Danny exploded inside her.

Lacey rolled off of him and laid beside him totally satisfied and spent. Her vagina was throbbing and quivering. It probably wondered where Danny had been all her life. She hasn't been with many men, but she thought the majority of the sex she had was good. She now realized that none of the other men she had been with compared to Danny. She'd be happy just sleeping with him for the rest of her life. Lacey thought he was out for the count, but really he was just getting started. He rolled Lacey over and got on his knees behind her. She immediately raised her ass up to him and felt him enter her. He started with a slow steady pace that Lacey again matched. He started to pick up speed as his thrusts went deeper into her. He gave her ass a light smack before he started to grab and knead her cheeks. Suddenly, he used his leg to angle her body differently. This new position caused it to feel like the tip of his penis was hitting her clitoris from the inside. It was the best feeling in the world. He moved and pumped into her until he had her purring like a kitten. She couldn't believe she almost gave this up for Jo. And Jo was right on the money and didn't lie at all about one thing: Danny is an incredible lover. He slowly pulled out of her and again surprised her by rolling her over on her back. He climbed between her legs and laid on her as he slowly entered her again. He pulled her right leg up over his shoulder as he again started to grind into her slowly. It felt like his penis was touching her back. This new position was amazing and felt fantastic to her. She again called for Jesus as he slowed his pace. She felt herself having an earth shattering orgasm as she called out, "Oh my god Danny!" She had reached the edge and beyond. And again moments later, Danny got there with her. He pulled out of her and kissed her deeply before settling beside her. Lacey rolled on her side to look over at him. All she could say was, "Wow."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself." He looks over at her. "You did enjoy yourself, right?" Danny asks.

"Of course I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself so much, I think it's time for you to move in." Lacey says jokingly. She truly understands how crazy that sounds.

"Does that mean we're official?" Danny asks.

She doesn't want to play the question game, but she needs to find out where he head is at. "Do you want it to mean that?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. But I think it's too soon for me to move in." Danny says.

"True, you can just spend the night whenever you want." Lacey says.

"Starting tonight, right?" Danny asks.

Lacey climbs over on top of him and plants a kiss on him before answering. "Yes, starting tonight." Lacey says as she starts to kiss him again. She feels him getting erect under her.

He grabs his penis and starts to enter her again. "Good, because I'm not finished yet." Danny says.

As they start to grind on each other again, Lacey says. "Danny, you were right. You are a good thing."


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok readers. I know you guys loved Chapter 9, and I can see that in your reviews. I love them! They make me smile and some are purely hilarious! I love, love, love reviews. You guys have no idea how much they mean to writers, so keep them coming! And here goes my disclaimer.**

*************Warning: This chapter contains extremely mature sexual content. If mature content isn't your think, Do Not Read This Chapter! This chapter may cause fainting, hot flashes, and the need for cool ventilation. LOL. I hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter! **

* * *

As Lacey continued to ride Danny, she really thought that he is indeed a good thing, and he was going out of his way to prove that to her. This was, hands down, the best sex she had ever had. And now she was feeling like she needed to show him that she too had a few tricks up her sleeve. She got that he was trying to make it especially good for her, but she would really start hating and doubting herself, her skills and her abilities, if she sent him away unsatisfied. That was not going to happen. She raised up off of her knees while he was still inside of her and put her body into a squatting position. She started to really move her body up and down along his shaft while simultaneously squeezing her kegel muscles. She could tell by the look on his face that he liked what she was doing. He started to sit up some but Lacey stopped him. "Don't move." Lacey said as she continued to pound on him. She surprised him when she angled her legs in only a way that a former gymnast would only be able to do, and turns her body completely around so that her back is facing him while he's still inside of her. She starts to ride and grind on him in reverse cowgirl. Danny really loved that position because it really gave him a very good view of her ass. She started to really pump and gyrate her hips onto him and sure enough, he got there and unloaded into her again. Lacey climbs from on top of him to lay on her stomach next to him. She just lies and stares at him for a few minutes. They both are silent while still trying to come down from their sexual high. Lacey just smiles and continues to look at him. "You're spoiling me." Lacey says as she waits for his reaction.

"What was that that you just did? You knew I didn't stand a chance after you did that." Danny says.

"I'm glad you liked it. But you're still spoiling me. I've never been pleasured like this before." Lacey admits.

"Well, my job here is to please. But I don't think you understand what you're doing to me. My dick won't stay down because of you." Danny says as he turns on his side to look at her.

"Because of me? I just thought you took a Viagra or something." Lacey says jokingly. She won't believe for a second that that's what he did, or that he even needs it for that matter.

"I don't need anything artificial to turn me on for you. That's a given. I'm starting to get turned on again just thinking about it." Danny says.

"That's fine, but I need a break first. I'm throbbing." Lacey says as she smiles at him again.

"I'm sorry that you're throbbing, but you have no idea how good it feels to be inside of you. I might have to take you up on your offer." Danny says as he smirks at her.

"What offer?" She's still on orgasm mountain and isn't thinking clearly.

"Your offer to move in. I know you were just joking but-"

Lacey cuts him off. "I wasn't joking." Lacey says seriously. She might be losing her mind, but she isn't joking.

Danny studies her face for a moment. "You really want me to move in?" Danny asks.

"I'm not trying to confuse you, but I honestly don't know. I don't want us to move too fast. I know I want you here as much as possible. Or I can come to your place. You're not hiding a wife or anything, are you?" Lacey asks.

"Of course not. The only woman in my life is you. I don't want anybody else." Danny says truthfully.

"I don't want anybody else but you, either. Besides, I think you've spoiled me for the rest of my life. I doubt any other man can measure up to you." Lacey says.

"Well, I think you need to get accustomed to me spoiling you. It's good for me too." Danny says.

"Are you hungry? I think we worked up a huge appetite." Lacey asks as she get up out of the bed.

"Yes. I think you're trying to kill me, woman." Danny says as he laughs and sits up.

"Well, we haven't even really gone to bed yet, so anything is possible." Lacey says as she walks into the bathroom. She desperately needs to relieve herself and take a quick shower. Lacey is in the shower when Danny walks in and does a totally man thing to do by peeing right in front of her. He then joins her in the shower. Danny repeats his earlier actions of taking the sponge away from Lacey to wash her. He then allows her to do the same to him. They just shower and wash each other in silence as they let their bodies communicate for them. Having Lacey think they're finished lets Danny know he has her right where he wants her. Lacey is getting ready to leave the shower when he grabs her hand and pulls her back to him before giving her a kiss. He says nothing as he pushes her against the shower wall and lifts her leg before entering her. Lacey wrapped her arms around Danny's back as they settled into their groove. The water for the shower made everything a lot wetter and hotter. It didn't take much for either of them to reach climax. Repeated multiple orgasms for both of them was taking its toll on the new couple. They needed to recharge. Danny slowly slid out of her after releasing into her. Lacey looked Danny in his eyes. "If we keep this up, we won't be able to go to work tomorrow." Lacey says.

"I can't help myself. I think I'm addicted to you now." Danny says as she pecks her on her lips.

"I can see that. And you ruined our shower. We have to do it all over again. And it's probably getting late. I still need to fix your dinner." Lacey says as she again lathers both of their bodies with soap and they rinse off. When they exited the shower, Lacey couldn't get over how sexy Danny looked when he wrapped a towel around his waist. And how hot she thought it was when he ran another towel through his hair. She actually stood there for a lot longer than she intended just staring at him. She was drying her own body off, but her gaze was fixed on him. She was pulled out of her daze when Danny interrupted her looking at him.

"What?" Danny asks as he finishes running the towel through his hair. He has the cutest smirk on his face.

"Nothing." Lacey says innocently as she practically runs from the bathroom. Danny takes this time to chase her and grabs her and places her on the bed. He lies on top of her, almost pinning her down.

"I see you're still running from me. And that's pointless because I always catch you." Danny says as he pecks her on her nose.

"Maybe I like it when you chase me." Lacey says as she leans up to peck him on his nose.

"Good." Danny says as he opens her towel with one hand.

"Danny stop!" Lacey says as she playfully slaps his hand. "I have to go and fix your dinner." Lacey says.

"Awww, you want to cook for me." Danny says teasingly.

"Yes. You earned a four coarse meal, but I have to do something quick. It's a school night." Lacey says as she tries to sit up by Danny's body is still pinning her down. "If you let me up, I'll have a treat for you after we eat." Lacey says.

"What kind of treat?" Danny asks.

"The kind you can't tell your mother about." Lacey says as she eyes him dead on.

"Ok, but for future reference, never mention my mother while you're naked again." Danny says as he rolls over to let her get up. He watched in awe as she walked her nude body over to her dresser to get a tee-shirt.

"Anything in particular you want to eat? And don't ask for anything fancy because it's almost bedtime. I promise to make you a fancy dinner the weekend." Lacey says as she puts on her tee-shirt and waits for his answer.

"I'd be happy with just a sandwich." Danny says.

"Are you staying up here or are you coming with me?" Lacey asks.

"I'll stay here so we can have dinner in bed." Danny says as he wiggles his eyebrows at her.

Lacey giggles. "Ok. But if you get crumbs in my bed, I'm going to hurt you." Lacey says.

"Do you promise?" Danny asks.

Lacey just giggles again and lightly huffs before leaving the bedroom to head downstairs. She sees Daisy in the hallway and she just looks at her. Lacey knows that cats have weird personalities, but Daisy really seems to be upset that Lacey hasn't spent any time with her. "I'm sorry, Daisy. I'll spend time with you soon. I'm in love now." Lacey says to the only "person" she can say that to now without them thinking she's crazy for falling in love so fast. Daisy seems to accept her apology as she walks up to her and rubs against her leg. Lacey heads downstairs humming because she's so elated. She heads to the kitchen to fix their sandwiches. She gets a little carried away and fixes Danny a turkey sandwich that looks like it belongs on the cover of a food magazine. She laughs to herself thinking that he earned it. She makes hers just as fancy too, but she really thinks she made his with love. She went over the top and decorated the plate with pickles and chips. She grabbed both of their plates and headed upstairs. She realized they didn't have anything to drink when she approached her bedroom door and had to balance one plate on her forearm as she opened the door. She was a little startled to see Danny just laying on her bed completely naked, but soon thought of how she could really get used to that. She approached him and he sat up so she could give him his plate and sat hers on the nightstand. "I'll be right back, I forgot drinks." Lacey says as she turns to leave.

"This is too pretty to eat, Lacey." Danny says.

"I'm glad you think so." Lacey says as she leaves the room and runs down the stairs and to the kitchen. She makes a bee line for the fridge, grabs their drinks, and runs back upstairs. She walks back into her bedroom and is a little touched by the fact that he didn't start to eat his food without her. "You didn't have to wait for me, Danny. You could have started to eat your sandwich." Lacey says as she hands him a bottle of green tea grabs her plate and walks around to the other side of the bed.

"Yes, I did. It's a courteous thing to do." Danny says.

"Well, I appreciate it. Thanks." Lacey says as she sits on the bed next to him. "I can't believe how late it is. I never eat this late. But I don't have a choice. And that's ALL your fault." Lacey says as she tries to tease Danny.

He chuckles. "How is that all my fault?" Danny asks as she takes a bite of his sandwich.

"Because you have the stamina of a stallion." Lacey jokes as she takes a bite of her own sandwich.

"You bring out the beast in me." Danny says as he continues to eat his sandwich. They just eat their food in a comfortable silence and Lacey finishes before him because she only eats half her sandwich. She places her plate on the nightstand and completely shocks Danny as she leans over to him and grabs his penis and puts it into her mouth. She startles him so much he almost drops his plate. He knows he can't finish his meal at a time like this so he just places the plate on the nightstand. She immediately starts to feel him expand in her mouth as she bobs her head up and down. She pulls him out and licks around his entire penis until she pays extra special attention to the thick vein running through it by licking it. She then licks around his head and then puts just the head in her mouth as she strokes his shaft with her other hand. She sucks on the head and increases her friction of stroking his penis. "Dammit, Lacey! Oh my god that feels good!" Danny says as he writhes beneath her. She continues that action because he seems to really like that and soon she hears. "Lacey, I'm about to explode!" She doesn't remove her mouth from him as she sucks the semen out of the tip. When she finishes, she just smiles at him and goes back to eating her sandwich. Danny is taking just a minute to get his bearings. "Jesus, woman. You really are trying to kill me." Danny says as he looks over at her.

Lacey feigns ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Danny." Lacey says as puts a chip into her mouth.

He finally gets himself together and decides to finish his sandwich since she's doing the same. He needs the food for fuel, because Lacey just riled him up again. He could probably go all night. But they had to work in the morning. So that plan may have to be put on hold until the next night. They finish their meal in a comfortable silence. Lacey still doesn't eat all of her sandwich and Danny finishes it for her. He sets her plate on top of his on the nightstand and makes himself comfortable. Lacey takes off her tee-shirt and snuggled close to him by putting her head on his chest. He puts his arm around her to pull her even closer to him. He loves this woman, even if they did just meet. She is amazing inside and out, and he really thought that she's perfect for him. He knew she would eventually be his wife one day. He of course had no idea that she was thinking the same thing about him. She no longer thought they were moving too fast. At this point, the amount of time they actually knew each other seemed irrelevant. She loved this man and saw a future with him.

"I just remembered that we have a half day tomorrow. It completely slipped my mind. Although I hate staff development meetings, I love ending the day early." Lacey says.

"Well, this will be my first one. I say we ditch it though." Danny says.

"We can't do that. The half day ones aren't that bad. The ones that take all day are pure torture. You'll see." Lacey says.

"Thanks for the warning. I have a question, though." Danny says.

"I'm listening." Lacey says.

"Do we make our relationship public or what? Is there a rule against fraternization?" Danny asks.

"Of course we make it public. And there isn't anything Principal Stokes can say when he sleeps with teachers." Lacey says.

"Wow. Ok, then. But what about your friend? I know you don't want to cause any unnecessary tension between you two." Danny asks in concern.

"No, I don't. But I'm not sacrificing my happiness for her. She's an adult. She should be able to get over it. Rejection is a part of life. It sucks, but you have to move on." Lacey says.

"And you are happy, right?" Danny asks expectantly.

Lacey looks up at him and smiles. "I've never been happier in my life." Lacey says honestly.

"Yeah. You make me more than happy, Lacey." Danny says.

Lacey leans over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. She climbs on top of Danny and kisses him. "One more round before we call it a night?" Lacey asks as she reaches down and starts to rub on his penis.

"I thought you'd never ask." Danny says as he start to kiss her deeply while moving his hand to where hers is to guide himself into her opening.

* * *

The next morning, Danny and Lacey awoke in each other's arms. They showered together and had another round while in the shower. They couldn't take too long because Danny had to leave to go home and get dressed for work. It was again another beautiful September day. Lacey was on top of the world. She truly had never been happier in her life. Lacey really though it was destiny the way Danny just walked into her life. She still felt some kind of way about thinking that she almost passed him up. It made her a little sick to think of Danny doing to Jo the things he did to her. But he made it perfectly clear that he didn't want Jo. And that he only wanted her. Lacey could never have been classified as insecure, so she knew she didn't have to worry about Jo, or any other woman for that matter. She isn't conceited at all, but she's confident in knowing that Danny is hers and only hers.

Lacey dressed in a cheerful yellow and white printed skirt, white blouse, cropped yellow sweater and tan wedge shoes. She thought the yellow matched her sunny disposition. When she checked her phone, she saw that she had several text messages and missed calls from Jo. Lacey would eventually get over her anger, but she really didn't feel like dealing with Jo right now. She didn't need her ruining her good mood. Although the way that Lacey felt, it would be impossible to knock her off the cloud she was floating on. She headed downstairs to feed Daisy. She didn't bother with breakfast because she had eaten late and wasn't hungry. And they provided lunch for them at their staff meetings. Lacey drove to school with her sun roof open and her radio playing. She was truly happy. She pulled into the parking lot and didn't see any of her close friends. She didn't even run into Danny like she usually does in the main office. Lacey just signed in and went to her classroom. She really didn't have any major lessons planned. She would probably just have her students to work on some pointless dittos to keep them busy.

Lacey was humming when Sarita walked into her room. "Good morning, Ms. Porter. I see that you're in a good mood this morning." Sarita says.

"Good morning, Ms. Vasquez. And yes, I'm in a good mood this morning." Lacey says.

"You look like you're glowing. Radiant, even. I guess the soccer coach is the reason for that." Sarita says.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ms. Vasquez." Lacey says as she starts to grin excessively.

Sarita just looks at her skeptically. She's happy to see her friend happy. "Uh huh. All I want to know is, does he have a brother?" Sarita asks.

Lacey laughs. "Sorry, but no. Only child." Lacey says.

"Damn." Sarita says and both women laugh.

"Are you ready for this meeting today?" Lacey asks as she sits behind her desk.

"No. I hate those meetings. I hope I don't fall asleep." Sarita says.

"I hope I don't fall asleep either. I didn't get much sleep last night." Lacey admits.

"Sex all night, huh?" Sarita asks.

"No." Lacey lies. Well, not fully. She didn't have sex _all _night. Most of the night would be more accurate.

"I know you're holding out on me. But I get it." Sarita says. "I'll see you at the meeting." Sarita says as she leaves Lacey's room. Moments later, her students start to arrive. Lacey just gives them fluff work that she'll give her next class too. It's Friday and a half day, no need to do any major assignments. Lacey gets through her classes and heads to the dreaded staff development meeting when the day is over.

Lacey finally sees Danny since he left her house that morning. He was only wearing a sweat suit and his hair was in a bun, but Lacey still thought he looked sexy. She knew it would be close to impossible for Danny to look anything but sexy. They walk up to the door heading to the conference room in the office together.

"Hello, Ms. Porter. You look wonderful." Danny says as he winks at her.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." Lacey says.

They didn't want to do the totally cliché thing and sit together, but they did sit across from each other. They both walked up to the lunch spread that they provided for them and Lacey just put salad and a few buffalo wings on her plate. She wasn't surprised to see what Danny piled on his. They sat down at the table to eat before the meeting started. Lacey finally noticed that she didn't see Jo. She either ditched the meeting or ditched school altogether. She was really taking wallowing in self-pity, embarrassment and the pangs of rejection a little too far. But Lacey shrugged it off. She didn't have time to baby a grown woman.

As the meeting got started, Lacey really tuned out everything that was being said. She had Danny on her mind. Him sitting right across from her was irrelevant. She felt her phone vibrate in her purse that was in her lap. She discreetly checked it. She shifted in her seat a little when she read the text message Danny sent her.

_I want you to sit on my face when we get home._

Lacey looked over at him and he definitely had his poker face on. Lacey replied back to him when she pretended to look through her purse.

_I'm gonna crawl under the table and give you another treat._

Lacey sends the text and waits for him to read it. When she sees his reaction, she bends down for a few seconds. He really thought she was going to do it. The hurt and disappointed look on his face was priceless.

_Tease._

_You'll pay for that soon. _

Lacey snorts and pretends to cough. She sends him another text.

_I'll be waiting. _

Thirty minutes later, the meeting ends and they leave the school. Danny again followed her home. He retrieved a bag from his trunk before he followed her up the walkway. The way they rushed inside like they didn't just have sex for several hours was unbelievable. When they got inside, Danny dropped his bag on the floor and surprised Lacey like he did days before by picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs. He laid her on the bed and took her shoes off and put them on the floor. He started to undress her and when she was completely naked, he said to her. "Turn over." Lacey did as he instructed and she put her ass in the air to wait for him as he started to undress. Lacey felt him climb on the bed behind her. She felt his hands on her ass and she expected him to enter her from behind. She was totally shocked when she felt his tongue start to lick her. It felt like his tongue was everywhere as he licked everything. She heard his tongue slurp as he came up and started to suck and lick her clitoris. She felt his tongue enter her opening before he went back to lick her ass. She felt the hair from his goatee tickling her and that turned her on even more. She called for Jesus and His Father several times before she released a powerful orgasm. He didn't give her a chance to recover before he laid down flat on the bed. "Now, I want you to sit on my face." Danny says as he waits for her to do that. She turns her body so that they are now in the sixty-nine position. He starts to lick and suck on her clitoris and she started to lick and suck on his penis. Lacey started to orgasm again as her mouth was still on him. He felt her mouth vibrate on him and the sensation caused him to unload. Danny was like an untamed lion as he picked Lacey up off of him and laid her down on her back. He grabbed her legs and placed them both behind her head as he entered her. It felt like he was really deep inside her as he pounded his penis into her. It didn't take much for her reach the brink, and her moans of pleasure turned him on and caused him reach the brink as well. He unloaded into her as he pulled out and laid beside her. They both drifted off into a nap moments later. Danny awoke and headed downstairs, completely naked, to get his bag. As he was coming down the stairs, Jo was letting herself into Lacey's house. With the key that was only for emergencies. She got the shock of her life when she saw Danny naked, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Danny tried to cover himself up, but it was too late. She had already seen everything.

Danny was completely pissed off. And Jo was red from embarrassment. She yelled out, "I'm sorry!" She then closed the door and hurried away. Danny grabbed his bag and went back upstairs to Lacey's bedroom. She was still asleep so he decided to wait until she woke up to tell her what just happened.

Jo was livid by the time she returned to her car. She had seen Danny naked. And she liked what she saw. She got irrationally and totally upset because she felt like Lacey had stolen that from her. He should be walking around her house naked. Not Lacey's! She deserved him. She saw him first! She couldn't get over how good he looked naked. And she had never seen a penis that big in her life. She was mad as hell at her best friend and felt the need to cause her pain.


	11. Chapter 11

Danny just sat quietly on the bed while Lacey was still asleep. He didn't know how she'd take what he had to tell her. She was already a little on edge about jo, and now he had to tell her this. He was seriously starting to hate Jo. She was costing him and the woman he loved too many problems. Unnecessary problems. Jo almost cost him his chance with Lacey. And now this. He didn't even understand what she was doing there. And why she thought it was ok to come into Lacey's house that way. Unless that's something she did all the time. Best friends are known to enter their friend's house whenever they felt the need. But somehow, he didn't believe that. Danny prayed that Lacey wouldn't blame him. He couldn't believe Jo saw him naked. And while he isn't at all shy or embarrassed about his body, he doesn't want his girlfriend's friend seeing him naked. Especially one that wanted him and lied about sleeping with him. He hated that that scene had even took place.

Danny just sat and watched Lacey sleep. He admired how beautiful she was. He could seriously get used to waking up next to her everyday. He hoped this wouldn't cause him to lose her. Even though the only thing he did wrong was walk downstairs in the nude. He didn't expect to have someone catch him. He noticed that Lacey started to stir. He hoped she wouldn't think it was creepy that he was watching her sleep. He felt happiness when he noticed that she reached her arm out to feel for him. That made him happier than she would ever know. He just remembered how she kept running away from him and turning him down, now she was searching for him in her sleep. Life couldn't get any better for him. However, things could possibly get worse when Lacey fully woke up and he told her what just happened in her house.

Lacey finally opened her eyes fully and smiled when she saw him. "Sorry for completely tapping out on you, I was more sleepy than I realized." Lacey says.

"It's ok. We didn't get much sleep last night." Danny says as he rubs her cheek with his hand.

"Yeah, and I still blame that completely on you." Lacey says as she grabs the hand he's rubbing on her face.

"You can blame me all you want. I won't apologize for not being able to get enough of you. But, all of that aside, I have to tell you something." Danny says while his hand is still on her face. He watches sadly as the smile disappears from her face and she removes her hand from touching his.

"Tell me what?" Lacey asks in a indeterminable tone.

"You had a visitor while you were asleep." Danny says.

Lacey racks her brain quickly thinking of a visitor she could have had that would make Danny feel like he needs to tell her something. She thinks she knows who it was. "Let me guess, Jo?" Lacey guesses correctly.

"Yes." Danny says.

"Was she surprised to see you here?" Lacey asks.

"I think it's safe to say she was surprised to see me here." Danny says.

Lacey looks at him funny. "What did she say?" Lacey asks.

"It's not really what she said, it's what she did." Danny says.

Lacey closes her eyes and exhales sharply. "What did she do?" Lacey asks, clearly not ready to hear something crazy her friend may have done.

Danny tries to choose his words carefully. "Well, she let herself in and she caught me like this." Danny says. He's still completely naked.

Lacey jerks her head back as she looks at Danny with anger in her eyes. "She what?" Lacey questions harshly.

"I ran downstairs to get my bag and she was coming through the door. It was too late for me to cover myself up. I'm pretty sure she saw everything. She apologized and left." Danny says.

"Why in the hell was she coming into my house without my permission?" Lacey asks out loud even though the question really isn't for Danny.

"I wondered why too. It's obvious she used a key. You're not mad at me for walking downstairs undressed, are you?" Danny wonders.

"No. You have permission to walk around like that. This is my house, and I can have my guests do as I please in my house. I don't like that she saw you naked though." Lacey says.

"Me neither." Danny admits honestly. Suddenly Lacey jumps out of the bed and heads to her bathroom. He hears water running and thinks nothing of it until Lacey comes out and starts to get dressed. "What are you doing?" Danny asks.

"I'm going to go and pay Jo a visit." Lacey says.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Danny asks.

Lacey smiles at him strangely. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Lacey asks as she steps into her jeans.

"Because even though you're trying to hide it, I can tell that you're upset." Danny says.

"You're right, I am upset. I need to know why she thinks it's ok for her to enter my house unannounced and uninvited with the key that she's only supposed to use in case of emergency." Lacey says.

"So her coming in here isn't a regular thing?" Danny asks.

"No, it's not. But it makes me wonder whether she has come in here without my knowledge before." Lacey says as she walks into her closet to put her shoes on. She comes back out and walks over to the bed. She kisses Danny on his lips. "I'll be back soon." Lacey says.

"I'll be waiting." Danny says as he settles comfortably in Lacey's bed.

* * *

Lacey drove to Jo's house completely pissed off. She hoped that she would get over her anger by the time she reached her house. She couldn't believe her relationship with her best friend had come to this. They had been so close, and now they were like strangers, frienemies even. Lacey really had to get to the bottom of why Jo came to her house and entered it without her permission. Lacey was extremely angry and desperately needed to calm down and cool off before she said something that she might later regret.

Lacey had many thought blazing through her mind. But the main thing that perplexed her was the way she felt about the fact that Jo had seen Danny naked. She was already interested and had a thing for him. Lacey feared that would increase after her seeing him undressed. Seeing Danny in the nude did something to Lacey, and she had been with him. Danny's body was absolutely gorgeous. He was built like a greek god. Better than a greek god actually. She felt like he had been carved just for her.

By the time Lacey reached Jo's house, she was not as upset. She was still pretty mad though, but no longer felt a sense of rage. Lacey was glad she saw Jo's car parked in front of her house. She was glad that Jo was at home so that they could clear the air and get out whatever it was that they needed to do to mend their frazzled friendship. But truth be told, Lacey was really starting to see a side of Jo that she didn't like. She has turned a blind eye and made excuses for Jo's behavior for too long. It was high time Jo was held accountable for her actions, and not have people justify them or make it seem like the things that she did were really ok when they weren't.

Lacey rang Jo's doorbell instead of pounding on the door like she really wanted to. Maybe she should show Jo the same courtesy and enter Jo's house unexpectedly like Jo just did to her. Lacey pretended not to notice the frown that appeared on Jo's face when she realized it was her at her door. Jo opened the door and threw a fake smile on her face.

"Hello Lacey. What brings you by?" Jo asks in a seemingly nice tone, but Lacey isn't buying it.

Lacey breezes past her. "You can cut the act, Jo. We both know why I'm here." Lacey says.

"I guess we do." Jo says.

"I need to know why you thought it would be ok to come past my house unannounced and uninvited? And I need to know why you felt the need to enter my house without my permission, with the key that is only supposed to be used for emergency purposes only? Why did you feel you had the right to do that?" Lacey asks a barrage of questions.

"I came past because we needed to talk and you were ignoring me. Had I known you had _company, _I wouldn't have bothered coming by." Jo says. She spits out the word company like it tasted foul in her mouth.

"So that's what this is all about, right? You're upset about the company I have. Is that correct?" Lacey accuses.

"I'm not upset about your company." Jo lies. "Who you have as company at your house is your business." Jo says.

"And it would have remained my business, had you not come into my house like you lived there." Lacey says.

"I didn't expect to come into your house expecting to find him _like that._" Jo says, almost in disgust.

"Like that? Like what? Naked, nude, undressed, in the buff? Come on, Jo. We're adults. You have had sex before. You know what happens." Lacey says.

"Could you just stop talking about Danny being naked and you two having sex please?" Jo asks painfully.

"Why? Because you don't like that I had sex with Danny or because you liked what you saw?" Lacey asks.

"That's not it at all." Jo lies. Of course it's about that.

"Then what is it then?" Lacey asks.

"Look, I get it. You felt the need to take a guy that you knew I was interested in." Jo says.

"And there it is. You feel like I took Danny away from you, don't you?" Lacey asks.

"Come on Lacey. We all know I saw him first." Jo says to her defense.

"Well, you win the award for seeing him first. Congratulations. Now, do we need to discuss what I did first?" Lacey asks.

Jo frowns in disgust. "That won't be necessary." Jo says. "I saw him. It's clear what you did first."

"You are unbelievable. You really have the audacity to be upset right now?" Lacey asks incredulously.

"How would you feel if I just stole a guy that was rightfully yours?" Jo asks.

"You're being ridiculous. All you did was see him first. But he happened to be interested in me. It happens. You really need to stop taking this wounded animal and victim role so seriously. You really need to let it go." Lacey says.

"How can I let it go when I feel like you stabbed me in the back?" Jo asks, further proclaiming her status as the one that was hurt in this entire situation.

"Oh my god, Jo! I didn't stab you in the back! You just saw him first. He wasn't interested in you. It happens. Let it go!" Lacey explodes.

"He would have been interested had you not swooped in and got him to fall for you. And now I see why." Jo says smugly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lacey asks, though she already knows. She just wants to hear Jo say it.

"Well, you've got to admit it is pretty fast for you to be sleeping with him and him walking around your house naked." Jo accuses.

"Would it have been fast if he wanted to sleep with you and was over here naked, instead of at my house?" Lacey asks.

"I don't have to answer that." Jo says. "Besides, I didn't have sex with him. You did." Jo says in a nasty tone.

"You're right. I did have sex with him. And of course you don't have to answer that. I already know the answer. You were willing to have sex with him after what you thought was a date, though. I do need to know why you lied to me about sleeping with my boyfriend in the first place."

Jo jerks her head in disbelief. "Boyfriend?" Jo asks.

"Yeah, boyfriend. Now answer my question. I feel I have the right to know why you went out of your way to lie to me about sleeping with him. That was a lousy thing to do." Lacey says.

"I guess it was just wishful thinking. I thought that eventually he would want to sleep with me and it would be true. And it could have been. If you didn't run and tell him what I said." Jo says accusingly.

"I didn't run and tell him anything. And I assumed he already knew, since I believed you. And I only said something because he kept pursuing me and I didn't want to betray you." Lacey admits honestly.

"Why didn't you just stay away from him? Why didn't you just tell him that you couldn't betray your best friend?" Jo asks, sounding dangerously close to crying.

"First of all, I tried to stay away from him. But we have to work together. Second, do you not remember me trying to set you two up? And third, I did tell him that. But the fact remains true, that he wasn't or isn't interested in you. And I think he told you that. Why is it so hard for you to believe that a man would choose me over you?" Lacey asks.

"I'm done talking about this. You have a decision to make. It's either me or him. Take your pick." Jo says as she folds her arms across her chest.

"You're joking, right?" Lacey asks.

"No, I'm not joking. You need to choose between me and him." Jo says defiantly.

"You really want me to choose between you two? As long as we've been friends? You would just throw our friendship away like that?" Lacey asks.

"I'm not throwing away anything. Our friendship lies in your hands." Jo says.

"Why would you ask me to do that? I have room in my life and my heart for both of you. Do you not want to see me happy?" Lacey asks.

"It's not about not wanting to see you happy." Jo lies. It is exactly about that. Misery truly does love company. "It shouldn't be a hard choice for you to make. You've known me for almost twenty years. You've known him two days." Jo exaggerates. She's clearly laying a huge guilt trip on Lacey, totally relying on the fact that Lacey has always been a true and loyal friend to her. Until now.

Lacey walks up to Jo to give her a hug as a tear falls down her cheek. "I'm sorry, it had to come to this, Jo. I wish our friendship meant more to you than it does. I'm not choosing him over you, but I really don't see how we can remain friends after this. I wish you a lifetime of happiness, even if you don't wish that for me." Lacey says as she leaves her former best friend's house.

Nothing Lacey said mattered at all to Jo. All she heard was that Lacey chose Danny over her. She completely failed to see that she was totally wrong in all of this.

* * *

Lacey had a surreal drive home. She actually cried about having to walk away from a life long friendship. She just didn't understand her best friend not wanting to see her happy. Lacey was more than willing to sacrifice her happiness for Jo, and it hurt her deeply to know that she wouldn't do the same. She hated that some would think she chose a man over her best friend, when that wasn't the case at all. Lacey loved and cared about her friends, and wanted to see them happy. She even tried to get Jo with Danny, though it hurt her to do so. She would have stepped back, and did for Jo, if it meant that she would be happy with Danny. It just didn't pan out that way. Neither woman had taken Danny's feelings into consideration at all. They both pretty much chose for him.

Jo relied heavily on her assumptions that Danny would want her and also be attracted to her like she to him. She let her conceited and self-absorbed nature take over and think that there would be no way he would not be attracted to her. Jo thought she was beautiful, and to some she is. Her looks were irrelevant to Danny because in his eyes, and in lots of others, Lacey was the most beautiful woman in the world. Jo thought her blonde hair and blue eyes would really matter to Danny, and they didn't. It worked for Rico though. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That however, didn't matter to Jo. She only cared about what she wanted. Her selfishness was one of her many bad qualities.

Lacey still felt bad though. She had to let her best friend go. What could that mean for her and Danny? Could she really in a happy relationship with him? Could she live with herself knowing that let her best friend of almost twenty years go because Jo couldn't accept it? Was Lacey really going to be that kind of woman? She never thought she would be. She stated from the very beginning that she wouldn't let a man come between her and Jo. And it didn't have to be that way. If Jo could just get over herself, and see that her friend was happy with a man who wanted her and she felt the same way. It will never be Lacey's fault that Danny doesn't see Jo the way that he saw Lacey. But Jo blamed her. Jo wrongfully blamed Lacey because Danny liked Lacey instead of her. And somewhere in that crazy mind of hers, she blamed Danny too. She blamed him for being too blind to see what was standing right in front of him. But he did see what was right in front of him, and that was Lacey. Lacey had many good qualities. Her worst was that she was a people pleaser. Though her people pleasing skills didn't mean much in this scenario. Had she done what Jo wanted and pleased her by giving her what she wants, Lacey would be miserable. And she was not willing to be miserable for Jo any more. She had already experienced that, and didn't like the way it made her feel.

For the second time in her life, she had to walk away from someone who she cared deeply about. LIke when she had to walk away from Archie. It hurt her to do that, but she had no other choice. They wanted completely different things. Breaking up with Archie and moving on with her life was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. It was a brutal decision that she agonized over for a while. She only had two questions she had to ask herself. Could she really go the rest of her lie, and not have the one thing that she truly wanted, and that was to be a mother? Or did she give up her dream and stay with a man even though his dream didn't match hers? In the end, Lacey chose her happiness over Archie's. He tried to convince her that maybe he'd feel differently in the future. But Lacey knew better. She knew he was just placating her by telling her what she wanted to hear. Lacey ultimately realized that two people who seriously want different things couldn't be together, no matter how much they loved each other. Leaving Archie really hurt Lacey. She remembered how Jo was the main friend to help her get through it. Clara did too, but she was younger then, and really didn't understand. She was just there for Lacey nonetheless. It took Lacey a long time to get over it, but she got there. She dated a few men, but she really didn't feel anything for any of them. Most just wanted to get her into bed, or just wanted a pretty accessory to show off. Lacey isn't an accessory.

And in walks Danny. Who just breezed into her life. And in a short time span, made her happy. Happier than she ever dreamed. She hated that her happiness with him seemed to come with a price. Why did it have to be all or nothing with Jo? Why was she being so difficult? Lacey realized that without a doubt, her best friend wasn't the woman she thought she was. The way she just asked Lacey to choose. Who does that? But Lacey realized that Jo was again trying to manipulate her. Jo really thought she would choose her. Lacey decided to choose herself for once. A true friend would not ask a person to choose them over happiness. Lacey realized and understood that. She understood that Jo wasn't as genuine as she believed her to be. And that hurt Lacey more than she would ever admit. It felt like a part of her died.

Lacey pulled up in front of her house and tried to get herself composed as best as possible before she went back into the house. She realized it was pointless because she had to have a discussion with Danny about it, and knew she'd probably get upset again. She walked into the house to a waiting Daisy. Lacey knew that Daisy sensed she was upset because of the way she kept rubbing up against and criss crossing through her legs. Lacey bent down to pick her up.

"Hi Daisy. You must know that I'm upset, huh?" Lacey asks as she walks through the house to the kitchen. Daisy seems to answer her by rubbing her head against Lacey's cheek. Lacey sat down on the stool and just rubbed Daisy until she started to feel better. She put Daisy down to feed her and retreated to her bedroom. She found Danny under the covers, watching tv. She instantly felt better just seeing him. He turned off the tv and smiled at her.

"How did it go?" Danny asks.

"Terribly." Lacey says as she walks into her closet to remove her shoes. Once she's back, Danny asks another set of question.

"Why did it go terribly? What happened?" Danny asks.

"Well, I don't have a best friend anymore. What does that tell you?" Lacey asks as her voice starts to crack.

Danny just opens his arms up to her and she climbs in the bed and rests her head on his chest. "Tell me everything that happened. Why isn't Jo your friend anymore?" Danny asks.

"Well, she says she came in because I was ignoring her and we needed to talk. And she still insists that I stole you from her. Then she pretty much called me a slut for sleeping with you." Lacey says. She's exhausted from saying that and she isn't even finished yet.

"You didn't steal me from her. Even if there was no you, I still wouldn't want her. And how can she call you a slut when she threw herself at me and offered to have sex with me? Is she really that pathetic?" Danny asks, although he already knows how pathetic Jo is.

"I asked her pretty much the same thing. And then she told me I had to choose between you and her." Lacey says.

"She didn't." Danny states.

"She did." Lacey responds.

"So, you're here with me, and you say she's no longer your friend. I don't like that you chose me over her, Lacey. I don't want to come between you two." Danny replies honestly.

"Danny, I don't mean to say it like this, but I didn't choose you over her. I chose me over her. I finally understand that she doesn't want to see me happy. I'm choosing happiness over her. You just happen to be a part of what makes me happy." Lacey admits truthfully.

"Well, I'm glad that you made the decision to choose to be happy. And I'm happy that you're happy. I still don't like that you had to lose your oldest friend in order to be happy." Danny says.

"I thank you for that. I really do. I never thought my friend would want to see me miserable. But you do realize that you're sort of stuck with me, right?" Lacey asks.

"I can live with being stuck with you, Lacey. I'm sticking around until I no longer make you happy." Danny says.

"We are still going on our date, right? I feel like we're not doing anything in order." Lacey jokes.

"Yes, we are. But I think doing things out-of-order might be our signature thing. So we should have a baby, then get married." Danny jokes.

Lacey sits up and looks at him. She already knows his plans, but she needs to be absolutely sure. "You do want kids, right?" Lacey asks hopefully.

"You already know the answer to that, Lacey." Danny says.

"I know. I just need clarity." Lacey responds.

"Yes, I want kids. And I'm not just saying it to say it. I really mean it." Danny says.

Lacey's face lights up. "Good. That's one thing I needed to confirm." Lacey says.

"Ok. What else do you need to know?" Danny asks.

"Where are you taking me on our date?" Lacey asks excitedly.

"We can just do dinner tonight, and then really do something tomorrow. How does that sound?" Danny suggests.

"Perfect. We need to get ready then." Lacey says as she hops out the bed and starts to undress. "You are joining me, right?" Lacey asks once she's fully undressed.

"Absolutely." Danny says as he gets out of the bed and follows her into the bathroom. They showered together and made love passionately against the shower wall. It was a declaration of love without words. The couple finished their lovemaking and shower, and then left the bathroom to dress for their date.

Lacey walked into her closet to search for something sexy to wear. She poked her head out of the closet door. "What color should I wear?" Lacey asks Danny.

"I think you'd look good in whatever color you wear." Danny answers honestly.

Lacey puts on a fake grin. "You're not helping." Lacey says.

"Ok. How about red? I've never seen you wear red." Danny says.

"Red it is." Lacey says as she disappears back into her closet. She finds a short red dress with black lace accents on the back. She pairs it with black stiletto Christian Louboutin shoes. She dresses inside her closet to surprise Danny. When she walks out, she twirls around. "What do you think?" Lacey asks as she smiles at Danny.

Danny is literally speechless. She looks stunning. "Lacey, I don't think you should have put that dress on." Danny says.

Lacey frowns in disappointment. "You don't like this dress?" Lacey asks.

"I love the dress, but I think you should have worn something else if you wanted to actually leave the house." Danny says.

"I'm not following you." Lacey says.

Danny walks towards her. "You look so good in that dress, I just want to rip it off of you." Danny says as he pecks her lips.

"You can take, not rip it off of me later." Lacey says as she finally takes in Danny's appearance. He's wearing dark blue jeans, a white button down shirt, and black blazer. His hair being down makes him look even more sexy. "You look pretty snazzy yourself, Danny." Lacey says.

"Thanks, but I'm sure all eyes will be on you." Danny says.

"On us. There isn't a couple alive hotter than us." Lacey jokes. She just might right. Danny and Lacey are two incredibly attractive people. "I just have to put my makeup on and I'll be ready to go." Lacey says.

"Ok. I'll wait downstairs." Danny says as he leaves the room.

Lacey puts on her makeup, grabs her purse, and heads downstairs. She finds Danny on the couch with Daisy sitting in his lap. "Ready?" Lacey asks. They leave Lacey's house and head to dinner in Danny's car with him driving. And Lacey was right. All eyes were on them as they walked down the street to the restaurant. Lacey grabs Danny's hand and smiles up at him. "You do know that I love you, right?" Lacey asks. She can't believe she met him only days ago. But it seemed like a lifetime ago. And she really did love him.

"Yes. You do know that I love you, right?" Danny counters as he smiles at the woman he truly loves.

"Yes. How could you not?" Lacey says jokingly as she nudges him and grabs his hand tighter.

She's right. How could he not love her? Danny asks himself as they continue to walk down the street.

The End

* * *

**Ha ha. Just kidding! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone. My Dacey feels are at an all time high. I think that will be represented in this latest update that I hope you all enjoy. Reviews are hugs!**

**Disclaimer: This chapter contains mature sexual subject matter. The paragraphs that have that mature content, start with *****five stars. If that isn't your cup of tea, you can skip those paragraphs and still have a great update. You may experience tingles and hot flashes after reading those paragraphs so be prepared, lol. ;)**

* * *

Danny and Lacey continued to stroll down the street and made their way to 'The Black Rose'. The restaurant was pretty busy from what they could see. There were a few people in the seating area waiting for tables. Danny gave his name to the hostess and he and Lacey went to sit down to wait until their table was ready. As they sat down, Lacey snuggled her body into Danny and he placed his arm around her. An older woman sitting on the adjoining sofa looked over at them and smiled.

"Your children must be beautiful." The lady says to them and smiles again.

Lacey looks up at her. "Excuse me?" Lacey asks politely.

"I said, your children must be beautiful." The lady says again.

"Oh, we don't have any children yet, but thank you." Lacey says as she smiles at the woman.

"Well when you do, I know that they'll be beautiful. You two are a really gorgeous couple." The woman says.

"Thank you. I think our kids will be beautiful too." Danny says.

Danny and Lacey just sit there peacefully until they hear, "Desai. Party of two."

They follow the hostess to their table and ironically have a waiter named Joe. Lacey and Danny both hoped that wasn't a bad sign. Lacey chucked when Danny ordered chicken as his meal. Danny looked at her strangely.

"What's so funny?" Danny asks.

"Jo told me that you ordered chicken on the date you had with her." Lacey says as she tries to contain her laughter.

Danny smiles at her. "And we have a waiter named Joe. Is that a good or a bad sign?" Danny asks.

"I pray it's a good sign." Lacey says.

Joe turned out to be an excellent waiter. Lacey and Danny shared their food with each other. The same woman from their earlier conversation about beautiful kids looked over and smiled at them as Danny placed his fork into Lacey's mouth. The woman couldn't help but smile at the young couple that reminded her of when she and her husband of 40 years were dating. The woman knew that without a doubt that those two would be together as long as she had been happy and together with her husband.

* * *

As they left the restaurant, they decided to take a stroll on the pier near the marina. The moon illuminated on the water and made it shine. They continued to walk hand in hand until Danny felt Lacey start to shiver.

"Are you cold?" Danny asks.

"Yes. I guess it's the water making me cold. I was fine at first." Lacey says.

Danny stops to take his jacket off to put it on her as he pecks her on her nose. "Next time, let me know you're cold before I have to ask." Danny says.

"Yes, baby." Lacey says as she giggles and they start to walk again.

"It's hard to believe we just met a few days ago." Danny says.

"I was just thinking the same thing. It feels like I've known you much longer." Lacey says/

"Exactly. Though I did wonder if we were moving too fast." Danny admits truthfully.

"I did too. But it doesn't feel too fast. You know?" Lacey replies.

"It really doesn't. But it was only a few days ago when you were watching me through the window and undressing me with your eyes." Danny says jokingly.

"Uh uh, mister. You were watching me and undressing me with your eyes." Lacey says as she playfully nudges him.

"I'm guilty. I was doing everything you said. From the first time you bumped into me in the office. I was a goner from the start." Danny confesses.

"Well since we're confessing things, I was a goner when I first saw you on the field with Principal Stokes." Lacey says.

"I knew you were watching me. I win. You fell first." Danny jokes.

"True, but you fell harder." Lacey says.

"Guilty as charged." Danny says. "Do you want to head over to my place?" Danny asks.

"Are you planning on having your way with me?" Lacey asks.

"Uh, I can't promise anything, but it's likely to happen." Danny says.

"Then your place it is." Lacey says.

* * *

They enter Danny's building and head to the elevator since Danny lives on the tenth floor. Danny and Lacey were pretty much standing on top of each other while Danny rested his hand on Lacey's butt. As they're waiting for the elevator, two women walk into the building and up to the elevator. They were chattering and stopped talking abruptly. Lacey notices that they're sizing her up. That could only mean that they want or already had Danny. Lacey was relieved that she was flawlessly slaying. She was no longer wearing Danny's jacket, so they got the full effect of her dress and her incredible body. Neither one of the women had anything on her. And Danny paid neither one of them any attention until they spoke to him.

"Hey, Danny." The first woman whose name is Julie says. She completely ignores Lacey and Lacey really doesn't like how she said 'Danny'.

Danny turns his head slightly and speaks. "Hey, Julie. Bridget. This is my girlfriend, Lacey." Danny says.

"Nice to meet you." Bridget says as she reaches to shake Lacey's hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Lacey says as she smiles. Julie makes no effort to speak to Lacey, so Lacey makes no effort to speak to her. That's totally fine by her.

Julie tries to further undermine Lacey when she starts talking to Danny. "Are we still on for our workout tomorrow morning?" Julie asks.

Danny looks at Lacey before answering. "Probably not tomorrow morning. I'll probably be sleeping in. I'll let you know the next time I'm available." Danny says as the elevator arrives. They all step on as Danny presses 10. Lacey sees that they don't press a floor so that means they must really be Danny's neighbors. The ride up is noticeably awkward and silent. when they reach the tenth floor, they all step off and head in the same direction. Lacey can't believe it when they stop at penthouse C and Danny stops at D. And then Lacey had the little devil appear on her shoulder letting her know that them living right next door would work to her advantage.

Danny opens the door and Lacey almost can't believe her eyes. His place is not at all what she expected. He guides her over to the black leather sofa and tosses his blazer on the chair as Lacey sits down. Lacey just looks around and admires his place. Of course it looks like just a man lives there because everything is black and white. A true bachelor's pad, but it has a woman's touch. It makes Lacey wonder what woman decorated his place. She soon puts that thought out of her head as she starts to wonder about Julie and Bridget. Something else she doesn't need or want to think about. As if Danny senses she's thinking too hard about something he asks her a question.

"What are you thinking about, Lacey?" Danny asks as he comes and sits next to her.

"I was wondering what woman decorated your place and what Julie's problem is." Lacey admits honestly.

"Well, this was all my mother. I'd still just have a futon. recliner and pool table if it wasn't for her. And Julie is a little hung up on me. Don't worry about her though." Danny says.

"I just knew a woman did this. I just assumed it was an ex girlfriend or something. And you two slept together, didn't you?" Lacey asks.

"I haven't had a girlfriend in a long time, and no, I never slept with Julie. We went out once. We're better off as friends. But she still wants more and I don't. Why did you ask me that?" Danny replies and wonders.

"Just the way she looked at you and me." Lacey says as she smiles.

"I didn't notice anything." Danny says.

"You wouldn't. It's a woman thing." Lacey says as she shakes her head. "Why haven't you had a girlfriend in a long time?" Lacey asks.

"I do have a girlfriend." Danny says as he pulls her close.

"You know what I mean, Danny. I'm sure you have women hitting on you all the time." Lacey says.

"Two reasons. I guess I was just looking for the right woman." Danny says as he looks at her.

"What's the other reason?" Lacey asks.

"I should have already told you this, but I'm kind of rich, I guess. And I don't want anyone trying to use me for my money." Danny admits something he doesn't tell people but he knows that Lacey isn't one of those women that would want him just for his money.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me." Lacey admits truthfully.

"I know that. That's why I told you." Danny says and pauses. "You aren't going to ask how I got rich?" Danny asks.

"No. If you want me to know, you'll tell me." Lacey says.

"I inherited it when my father died. But I don't like to talk about that." Danny says.

"Then we don't have to talk about it." Lacey says as she rests her head on his shoulder. They sit quietly and just enjoy each other's company for a little while.

Danny jumps to his feet with a grin on his face. "I want to show you something." Danny says as he reaches for her hand.

"Ok." Lacey says.

They walk out to his balcony. It looks like you can see the entire town. The view was breathtaking. Lacey felt like she could stay out there and look at it forever. Shen never realized that Green Grove is that beautiful at night.

"It is so beautiful out here." Lacey says.

"Yes, it is." Danny says as he walks up to her to hug her from behind.

"We should have sex out here." Lacey says.

"You're kidding, right?" Danny asks.

"Nope." Lacey says as she turns around and starts to kiss him and unbuckle his belt.

"You don't care if somebody sees us?" Danny asks.

"Nope. Do you?" Lacey asks.

* * *

*****"I guess I don't." Danny says as he starts to tongue kiss Lacey deeply. Lacey unbuckled his jeans and unzips his jeans and reaches in and pulls his dick out through the opening of his boxer briefs. Lacey is happy that he's already hard. Danny picks Lacey up and puts her on the small ledge of his balcony. He reaches for her panties and pulls them aside as he sticks his finger into her opening. He moves his finger in and out of her and her wetness turns him on and makes his dick even harder. He takes his finger out of her and licks it until Lacey takes his finger and puts it into her mouth. Danny enters her slowly as Lacey wraps her legs around his waist. Danny lightly picks Lacey up to put his hands on her ass to help him dive deeper into her. Danny sets up a steady pace and Lacey moans louder with each thrust. "Oh my god Danny!" Lacey screams. Lacey takes her arms and wraps them around Danny's shoulders as she puts her mouth into his neck to suck on it. Her moans in his ear turn him on even more as he continues to thrust into her. Danny's stamina and his stroke is amazing. She wonders just how long they had been out there because Danny isn't at all like the average man. Lacey briefly opens her eyes and sees Julie and Bridget watching them from their balcony window, The fact that they're being watched makes Lacey wetter. Lacey gets a sly grin on her face as she leaves Danny's neck and starts to kiss him on the mouth. The sudden increase of fluid drives Danny wild as he takes his hand from her ass and moves it to start playing with her clitoris with his thumb. "Damn Lacey. You're so wet I'm about to blow!" Danny says as he speeds up his thrusts. He feels her flood his dick with juices as he fills her up with his. Danny slowly eases out of Lacey. He then kisses her on the mouth deeply as he pulls her panties back in place and lowers her from the small ledge. Lacey can see that Julie and Bridget have moved away from the window so they won't get caught watching them. Danny bends down to grab his jeans to pull them up. "You've got me addicted to you." Danny says as he kisses her again.

* * *

"I'm addicted to you too, Danny. I honestly can't get enough." Lacey admits.

"I wonder if anybody saw or heard us. You were pretty loud." Danny jokes.

"I don't think anybody saw us. They may have heard me though." Lacey says as she stands and straightens her dress. She knows for a fact that Julie and Bridget saw them having sex. But that's something that Danny just doesn't need to know. Lacey smiles at him as she grabs her hand and leads her off the balcony back inside and to his bedroom. Lacey loves how cozy his bedroom is. She actually likes it better than her own. Her bedroom looks like a woman's bedroom. If Danny were to ever move in, they would definitely have to change it. "I really like your room. I like it better than mine, actually." Lacey says as she sits down at the foot of his bed.

"And I like your room better than mine. Probably because your room is very you." Danny says as he sits down on the bed next to her.

"I get it. Your room reminds me a lot of you." Lacey says.

"Are you spending the night, or are we going back to your house?" Danny asks.

"I'm spending the night. We're already here anyway." Lacey says as she kicks her heels off.

"I want to try something different tonight though." Danny says.

"Ok. Something different like what?" Lacey asks.

"I just want to hold you." Danny says.

"Gosh Danny. You had me think it was something weird or bad like a threesome or something." Lacey says.

"I would never suggest something like that to you. I know it sounds selfish, but I don't want to share you with anybody." Danny says.

"That isn't selfish. I feel the same way. And of course you can just hold me. I'm not expecting to have sex with you every time we're together." Lacey says.

"We did just have sex though." Danny reminds her.

"I know that. But that's what people do in a new relationship. We have had enough sex in the last two days to last us a long time." Lacey says.

Danny chuckles. "We have had a lot of sex, haven't we?" Danny asks.

"Yes. So a night off is totally ok. I'm with you for more than sex, Danny." Lacey counters honestly.

"I know. And you know I'm with you for more than that. Sex isn't that hard to find. I just don't ever want it to seem like our relationship is based on that. I like you a lot. Hell, I even love you and I'm in this for the long haul." Danny says.

"I'm in this for the long haul too." Lacey says as she settles into Danny arms. They undress and get into Danny's bed a short while later as he held her all night just like he wanted.

* * *

The next morning, Lacey awoke to find Danny gone from his bed. She could smell the aroma of bacon cooking. The smell lands in the pit of her stomach and it starts to growl. Lacey understands that she needs to eat soon , but she doesn't want to leave his bed. As if by some weird chance Danny sensed that she was finally woke, he walks into the room with a tray. Lacey lights up instantly as she sees that he made her breakfast in bed, and at his appearance. He just has on boxers, but Lacey admires how nice his body is.

"Good morning, beautiful." Danny says as he walks up to the bed.

Lacey sits up straight in his bed. "Good morning, handsome. What's that?" Lacey asks innocently.

Danny puts the try across her lap. "This is breakfast in bed for the woman I love." Danny says as he sits down below her feet.

"Well, I appreciate breakfast in bed from the man I love. Thanks, Danny." Lacey says as she looks over what's on the tray. He fixed her waffles, bacon and eggs. "You are going to share this with me, right?" Lacey asks.

"Nope. I already ate. This is just for you because we have to get out of here soon. I know you need to feed Daisy." Danny says.

"Yeah, I do. So what are we doing today?' Lacey asks as she takes a bite out of a slice of bacon and starts to chew.

"Well, I have a few surprises in store. You have to promise to be open-minded though. Don't reject the ideas until you try them." Danny says.

Lacey smiles. "Ok, I'm game." Lacey says as she continues to eat her food.

"Great. When you finish, we can shower and head to your house, and then start our day of adventure." Danny says.

"Ok. Day of adventure, huh?" Lacey asks as she smiles.

"Yes." Danny says.

Lacey finishes her breakfast and gets into the shower with Danny. He stays true to not always wanting sex from her as they just shower without fooling around. Lacey felt a little ridiculous that she had to put her dress back on without putting her panties on. Danny threw on some shorts and a tee, but also packed another bag to take to her house. Lacey figured they'd be changing their clothes sometime that day. They left his penthouse and Lacey thought it was a weird coincidence that they again ran into Julie and Bridget in the hallway. They apparently were coming from what looked like a workout because they were both sweaty and wearing workout gear. Julie had a frown on her face that made Lacey smile. Lacey saw the way she looked at her and took in that Lacey was still wearing the same dress she had on the night before. And Lacey knew that they saw and heard them having sex on the balcony. They just don't know that Lacey saw them looking. Bridget desperately tried to avoid eye contact with both Lacey and Danny. This was just too funny for words.

"Good morning, ladies." Danny says cheerfully.

"Good morning." Bridget says.

"Morning." Says Julie.

Lacey just smiles at them. "Have a wonderful day!" Lacey says in a chipper voice as she and Danny head down the hall to the elevator, hand in hand. She heard Julie and Bridget's door slam.

Lacey forces herself not to laugh.

* * *

Danny drives to Lacey's house on a sunny and beautiful Saturday morning. They make their way inside Lacey's house and Daisy is waiting with an evil eye. She meows at Lacey and pretty much rushes her to the kitchen.

"I think our daughter is upset with you for staying out all night." Danny says as he laughs.

"I think so." Lacey says as she heads for the kitchen to feed her demanding cat while Danny heads up the stairs. Lacey feeds Daisy and heads up the stairs to her bedroom. She takes her dress off and thrown it into her dry cleaning bin. She goes and sits on her bed next to Danny. He's trying to pretend he wasn't looking at her nude body. "I just realized I didn't get my key back from Jo." Lacey says.

"So, what are you going to do about it? You don't think she's crazy enough to come in here, do you?" Danny asks.

"I don't know. She might want to come in and take a peek at your goods again. Though I would love it if she comes in here and catches us actually having sex, I'm not willing to chance it. I'm calling a locksmith." Lacey says as she reaches for her phone. She searches and finds one that's open and calls and they tell her they'll be there within the hour. Lacey gets up to walk over to her dresser to get undergarments to get dressed. "What should I put on?" Lacey asks before walking into her closet.

"The same thing you'd wear to practice." Danny says.

"Where are we going?" Lacey asks as she puts her sports bra on.

"It's a surprise. Be patient, my love." Danny says.

"Alright." Lacey says as she puts a matching pink and black yoga set on before heading inside her closet to retrieve her sneakers. "I'm going downstairs to wait for the locksmith to arrive." Lacey says as she heads for her bedroom door.

"Ok. I'll come and wait with you." Danny says as he follows her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Lacey and Danny wait about twenty minutes for the locksmith to arrive as Lacey plays with Daisy. When the locksmith is almost finished, Lacey heads upstairs to get her credit card and comes back down. When he hands her the form to sign along with her new set of keys, Lacey attempts to make payment to him but discovers that Danny already took care of it. When the locksmith is gone, Lacey says, "You know you didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to." Danny says.

"Well, thank you." Lacey says. "Here." Lacey says as she hands him a key.

"I didn't do that so you'd give me a key, Lacey." Danny admits.

"I know. But I want you to have it." Lacey says.

"Ok. Thanks. But we're going to have a problem if I come in here and find some guy naked." Danny jokes.

Lacey walks up to him and gives him a quick peck on the lips. "The only guy that's gonna walk around here naked is you."

* * *

After they finish at the house, Danny and Lacey leave in Danny's car to head to the surprise he has for her. When they arrive at the place, she sees that they're going indoor rock climbing.

"Rock climbing, Danny?" Lacey asks skeptically.

Danny looks over at her and grins. "Yes, rock climbing. Indoor rock climbing. Are you afraid?" Danny asks.

"Yes, actually." Lacey admits.

"It's totally safe. And I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. You do trust me, don't you?" Danny asks.

"Of course I trust you. It's the wall and gravity that I don't trust." Lacey says.

"You used to be a gymnast. I'm pretty sure you've done something just as scary as this." Danny replies.

"Yes. But I know what I'm doing in gymnastics." Lacey says.

"And I know what I'm doing here. You'll be fine." Danny says.

"Ok, but if I get hurt, I'm hurting you." Lacey says as they exit his car and walk into the facility. Lacey sees more people inside than she thought she would. She sees many different walls, some a lot taller than other. She knows for certain she will not be climbing the really tall ones no matter what Danny says. They walk up to a pretty buff guy. He's attractive enough, but he is nowhere near as hot as Danny.

Danny locks hands with him as they greet. "Hey man. This is Lacey. Lacey this is Louie." Danny says.

Lacey and Louie shake hands and utter, "Nice to meet you."

"I want her to start on a beginners wall. I guess you'll be our belayer. But I guess we can start with bouldering." Danny says to Louie.

"Ok. Let's go get the gear." Louie says.

"Lacey, I'll be right back." Danny says as he and Louie walk away.

Lacey just stands there and looks around and thinks that although it seems scary, it also seems like a lot of fun. As she's still taking in her surroundings, a guy walks up to her. He's about Danny's height with blonde hair and blue eyes. He reminds Lacey of Archie. He's actually cuter than Archie.

"I haven't seen you here before." The guy says to Lacey as he looks her over and smiles at her.

Lacey smiles back. "This is my first time." Lacey says.

"Hi, I'm Nick. And you are?" Nick says as he extends his hand.

Lacey extends hers too to shake his hand. "Hi. I'm Lacey."

"That's a very pretty name. Pretty name for a pretty girl." Nick says as she flashes his pearly white teeth.

"Thank you." Lacey says as she smiles, revealing her dimple.

"Wow. You have dimples. I think I'm in love." Nick says as he steps closer to her. "Would you like to go out with me tonight?" Nick asks.

Lacey smiles to be polite. "I'm sorry, I can't."

Nick puts on a fake pout. "Oh come on. You're breaking my heart." Nick says as he touches his chest.

Danny appears out of nowhere. "Hey." Danny says to Nick with a smirk on his face. He then looks at Lacey. "Are you ready to get started?" Danny asks.

Nick doesn't appear to be too amused with being interrupted. "Yes. I'd like you to meet someone. Danny this is Nick. Nick this is my boyfriend, Danny." Lacey says.

"Boyfriend?' Nick asks as he still gawks at Lacey.

"Yup." Lacey says as she continues to smile.

"I should have known someone as pretty as you are has a boyfriend. You're a lucky guy." Nick says to Danny.

"I know." Danny says as he smiles and pulls Lacey closer to him.

Nick still isn't leaving. "Do you have a sister?" Nick asks.

"Bye, Nick." Danny says and Nick reluctantly walks away.

Lacey just laughs and shakes her head. "Lead the way." Lacey says.

"I'm going to start you off with bouldering. You don't have to use a harness or a belay partner. You just use your own strength to climb the wall and there are crash mats below to protect you. Are you ready?" Danny asks.

"Yes." Lacey says as the walk over to the the wall.

"Race you to the top!" Danny says as he starts to climb the wall. Lacey starts to climb too and somehow zooms right past him. Danny is amazed that she was able to pass him. "What are you, Spiderwoman or something?' Danny asks.

"Nope." Lacey says as she drops from the wall.

"Show-off." Danny jokes.

"Oh, you wanna see me show off? Did you forget that I did gymnastics for years?" Lacey challenges.

"No, I didn't forget. And yes, I want to see you show off." Danny says.

Lacey starts to climb the wall again. She stops in the middle and does a back flip off the wall and lands in a split. "Was that good enough for you?" Lacey asks as she gets up and walks over to him.

"That was nothing." Danny says as he takes his tee-shirt off and is now just wearing a tank top. "We'll see who gets to the top of the other wall first."

"Ok, what's the wager?" Lacey asks.

"The loser has to cook a meal completely naked." Danny says.

"You're on!" Lacey says as they walk over to the beginners wall. Louie sets up their harnesses and gets another guy to be Danny's belayer. Once they're completely strapped up and ready to go, Lacey thinks she might lose this race.

Danny smirks at her. "Ready?"

"I was born ready." Lacey says as they start to climb the wall.

Danny easily makes it to the top before her, and starts to talk trash. "I'll take a homemade lasagna as my meal, Ms. Porter."

"I let you win." Lacey says.

"Double or nothing?" Danny calls down to her.

"No. You cheated anyway." Lacey says as she fake pouts and lets go of the wall.

Danny lowers himself over the side of the wall and repels down. Once he's at the bottom, he walks over to kiss Lacey on the lips. "Don't be such a sore loser, babe." Danny says.

"I'm not. I just have to find something I can beat you at." Lacey says. "And then you'll be cooking in the nude for me."

"I'd do that anyway." Danny says as he smirks and kisses her again.

* * *

When they get back to Lacey's house, the shower again together to get dressed for the rest of what Danny has planned for her. Danny puts on dark blue jeans and a gray polo. Lacey really doesn't know what to wear because she doesn't know where they're going.

"What should I wear?" Lacey asks before she walks into her closet.

"A dress if you want, but nothing fancy or too short. And no heels." Danny says.

"Got it." Lacey says as she walks into her closet to look around. She finds a white sundress with pink stitched embroidery and a pink sweater. She puts on her white espadrilles before she leaves out. "Is this ok?" Lacey asks Danny.

He thinks she looks beautiful. She always looks beautiful to him. "It's perfect. Now I have to tell you something, and I hope you won't get mad." Danny says.

"Is it something bad?" Lacey asks.

"No, I don't think so. We have to go to my mother's house for the rest of the surprise." Danny says as he waits for her reaction and hopes that she's open to meeting his mother.

"I would love to meet your mother, Danny." Lacey says. "Does she know about me?" Lacey asks.

"Yes." Danny says with a smile.

"Great." Lacey says as she smiles back at him.

"Are you ready to go?" Danny asks.

"Yes, after I feed our daughter as you called her. Will we be out all night again?" Lacey asks.

"Probably not. I plan on sleeping here tonight." Danny says.

"Ok." Lacey says as they walk downstairs. Lacey feeds her and Danny's firstborn and they leave the house. Danny throws on sunglasses as he starts to drive and Lacey can't help but notice how good he looks with them on. Lacey puts her own sunglasses on and just relaxes in the car. She reaches to turn the radio on and one of her favorite songs, "I Say A Little Prayer" by Aretha Franklin comes on and she sings along.

Danny looks over at her with an amused expression on his face. "You can sing?" Danny asks.

"That depends on how good you think I sound." Lacey says.

"I think you sound great." Danny says truthfully.

"Then, yes I can sing." Lacey says as they both laugh. Lacey continues to sing along to the radio until they arrive at Danny's mother's house. The house is huge and beautiful and reminds Lacey a lot of the house she grew up in where her parents still live. Danny pulls up in the driveway and they exit the car to enter the house. Danny grabs Lacey's hand as they travel up the walkway. "This house reminds me a lot of my parents' house. It makes me miss them a little." Lacey says.

"Then you should pay them a visit." Danny says.

"I will. And I want you to come with me." Lacey says.

"I'd be happy to." Danny says as they enter the house and it's just as pretty inside as Lacey imagined it to be. A petite, blonde pretty woman appears with the biggest smile on her face and with her arms extended appears.

"Hi, sweetheart! I missed you." Karen says as she hugs Danny and then turns to Lacey. "You must be Lacey." Karen says as she hugs her too.

"Yes, Lacey this is my mother, Karen. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Lacey." Danny says

"It's nice to meet you." Lacey says as she smiles.

"Call me Mom." Karen says as she laughs. "And sweetheart, you told me she was gorgeous, but I just thought you were exaggerating. You're so pretty it hurts." Karen says.

"Thank you. You are very pretty yourself." Lacey says.

"Oh, you are too kind." Karen says.

"Well, now that the introductions are out-of-the-way, we have to head out before it gets to late." Danny says.

"The keys are in the normal spot, dear. Jack and I are going out so we might not be here when you get back. Just lock up for us." Karen says/

"Sure thing, And thanks Mom." Danny says as he leads Lacey through the living room to a huge chef's kitchen that has floor to ceiling windows and overlooks the water. Danny stops and grabs a set of keys before he leads Lacey outside to the back yard. It looks like an outside living room and has a huge deck that leads to a dock.

"Where are we going?" Lacey asks excitedly.

'We're going out for a boat ride." Danny says as they continue to walk down the dock. Danny helps Lacey climb on to the boat and he hops on and raises the anchor and starts the boat up. He lets Lacey settle comfortably in the seat next to him as he starts to drive the boat. He turns to her. "Having fun yet?' Danny asks.

"Yes." Lacey says and she really is. they drive for a while until Danny pulls up to a pier where several boats are docked. They exit the boat and head to a restaurant on the water called 'Captain Frank's' where thy enjoy a seafood meal..It's getting dark by the time they leave the restaurant as they leave and make their way back to the boat. Danny drives the boat again and drops the anchor in the middle of the ocean.

"Well, the boat is settled, so we can go downstairs now." Danny says as he grabs her hand and leads her to the bottom of the boat. It's like a small studio apartment that has a small kitchen and sitting area. It also has a small sleeping area complete with a bed. Danny puts on music as Lacey sits on the bed and enjoys just sitting on the boat.

Danny comes over to sit next to her on the bed. Lacey puts her hand on his thigh. "I had a really great time today. This is a lot of fun." Lacey says as she leans over to kiss Danny on the lips.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. We can do this again if you want to." Danny says.

"I do." Lacey says as they sit in peace for a moment.

"Want to try the bed out?" Danny asks with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

"Definitely." Lacey says as they start to kiss.

* * *

*****Danny and Lacey start to undress each other until they're completely naked and they settle on the bed. Danny climbs on top of her as they start to kiss feverishly. Danny takes his hand to pry Lacey's thighs open as he settles himself comfortably between her legs and starts to play with her opening. He kisses her on her neck and makes his way to suck on her nipples. He travels his tongue along her abdomen until he reaches her vagina. He starts to run his tongue along her opening and her clit as he devours her with his mouth. "Ooooh Danny" Lacey moans as he continues to taste her. He licks the inside of her thighs before he climbs back up on top of her to enter her. he angles her body so that her legs are on his shoulders as he grinds in to her. Once again, her moans excite him and somehow makes him crave her body more. He maintains a steady and powerful thrust as he hears Lacey moan his name in his ear. Knowing that he makes her feel that good makes his dick even harder. He's nowhere near finished as he pulls out of her and pushes himself back. "Turn over and lay flat on your stomach." Danny says as Lacey does just that. He opens her legs a little to enter and then closes them to make the penetration even tighter. He's already big but he feels bigger to Lacey and that position makes her reach climax early. As Danny feels her walls constricting, it's a little too much for him for him to maintain his erection much longer. he finally reaches the brink as Lacey has her second orgasm of the night. He fills her up with his fluid. he settles beside her. "I hope you're ready." Danny says.

Lacey smiles at him. "Ready for what?" Lacey asks.

"More." Danny says as he pulls her on top of him.


	13. Chapter 13

Danny and Lacey had a few more sexy moments on the boat. That's another thing Lacey can file under things she had never done before. After their little rendezvous, they headed back to the top of the boat. The drive back was beautiful under the night's sky. The moon seemed to follow them. Danny and Lacey headed back to Karen and Jack's house to return the boat. The house was totally silent when they returned. When Danny went to return the keys, he saw a note that Karen had left for him.

_Danny,_

_We really didn't get a chance to chat today, and I would really like to get to know Lacey better. I want you guys to come over tomorrow around 11. You and Jack can fire up the grill so Lacey and I can bond. _

_Love, _

_Mom_

"My mother wants up to come by tomorrow so you two can bond." Danny says to Lacey.

Lacey smiles. "I would love to come and bond with your mother. I didn't really get the chance to meet her earlier." Lacey says.

"Great." Danny says as he leads Lacey through the house to the front door and out to his car. They had a really peaceful drive home. They made their way inside the house and saw Daisy curled up on the sofa sleeping. They made their way up to the bedroom. They both just sit on the bed. The boat ride and the air from being in the open sea pretty much tired them out.

"I feel like taking a long, hot, bubble bath. I'll probably fall asleep in there though." Lacey says.

"Well, I can join you to make sure you don't drown." Danny says as he flashes her a grin.

"Do you really want to take a bubble bath with me? I don't want you to feel less manly." Lacey jokes.

"As long as I make a beard out of bubbles, I think my manhood will still be intact." Danny says.

"Then I guess we're on mister." Lacey says as she stands and heads into her closet to take off her shoes. She comes back out and starts to undress just as Danny is doing the same. She walks into the bathroom to start running the bath. She's so glad that she has a soaker tub big enough for both of them that's totally separate from the shower. She has Jacuzzi style jets and heaters in the tub. It has his and her sinks and the stand alone shower also has jets and a rain flow shower head. It's the main thing that attracted her to and made her buy the house. The previous owner really went all out with renovating it before putting it on the market. Her master suite was awesome. Her bedroom is huge with her huge walk in closet, another selling point. It had shelves to store all of her shoes, and even had a bench inside. The rest of the house sold her too. She had two other bedrooms. One was her guest/Clara's bedroom and the other she turned into her office. She figured she'd make one of the rooms a nursery when she had a baby. Her kitchen had been completely renovated also. It had granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and dark cabinets. She had an island and a breakfast bar with stools that lead out to her eating area. She didn't have a formal dining room, but she really didn't need one because of the openness and size of the kitchen. She had a laundry room right off the kitchen. She had a basement that she never went in. It's finished and it's huge, but she had no use for it. It actually had a usable bedroom space and full bathroom. She started thinking that if Danny really did move in, he could turn it into his man cave. She really liked the idea of him moving in. She didn't know if he wanted to give up his place, but it's definitely something they would discuss in the future.

Lacey poured an obscene amount of bubble bath in as Danny walked into the bathroom. She lit many candles to make it more romantic and turned off one of the lights. Danny climbed into the tub first and she got in and sat between his legs and leaned back on him as he wrapped his arms around her. They just sat quietly for several minutes.

"Why did you want to become a teacher?" Danny asks, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I guess my love for children. Though I debated over whether to teach younger kids, rather than older ones. And then my love for reading and literature took over, so I decided to become and English teacher. How about you?"

"Same reason, but it was mainly my love for soccer and wanting to coach. I didn't see any other way to really incorporate that into my life. And I knew that I probably shouldn't be the kind of teacher that's in a classroom all day. The energy that kids give off is good for me." Danny says.

"Yeah, I don't think I can see you in a classroom all day. You have too much energy for that." Lacey says.

"Yup. So being the gym teacher is perfect for me." Danny says.

"That's how I feel about being the cheerleading coach. It takes me back to when I did gymnastics. I was a cheerleader in college because I gave up gymnastics when I graduated high school. What's your favorite holiday?" Lacey asks.

"Christmas. It brings out the kid in me. What's yours?" Danny asks.

"Mine is Christmas too. I get really nostalgic that time of year. Expect to see a huge tree and many decorations. I may even have you swinging outside to hang Christmas lights." Lacey says.

"That's doable. I love it that much too. Ok, so what's your favorite movie?" Danny asks.

"Sixteen Candles. What's yours?" Lacey asks.

"The Breakfast Club. Close enough." Danny says as they both laugh. "Now, for more serious questions, how many kids do you want?" Danny asks.

"At least two. How many do you want?' Lacey asks.

"Five or six." Danny says.

Lacey turns her body slightly to look at him. "I'm not having five or six kids, Danny." Lacey says.

"Fine. I was kidding, but I'm glad I know that. How about we stop somewhere in the middle, like three? How's that?" Danny asks.

"That's fine with me. So, where do you see yourself in five years?" Lacey asks.

"I see myself still teaching and coaching kids. Married to you with possibly one or two kids. My life is pretty awesome the way it is now, so I only expect it to get better. How about you?"

"Believe it or not, I see the same things. The only difference is I see us with a dog too. I don't think Daisy will like me getting another cat." Lacey says.

"It's amazing how much we have in common. I guess that's why I was so drawn to you and why it feels like I've known you for a long time." Danny says.

"It is though. It's like we were meant to be together. I feel this extreme connection to you. But it doesn't scare me or make me think too much about it anymore. I wouldn't feel any different towards you or us if we had met a year ago. Does that make sense to you?" Lacey asks.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. I feel the same way." Danny admits honestly.

"What's your relationship like with your mother?" Lacey asks.

"We're very close since I'm her only child. I don't know if I'd be considered a mama's boy, though. I was really close to my father before he died especially because of the soccer thing. He played in school too. I guess me being a soccer coach is a way to stay connected to him. But my mother and I get along great. I try to go and see her as much as I can because I know how much she misses me. But she has Jack, my step father. I have a step sister named Whitney, but she lives in Boston. What about you and your folks?" Danny asks.

"Well, I'm closer to my mother, Clara is a daddy's girl. My mother and I have a lot in common, like our sense of style, favorite things, and just our overall personalities. We're both people pleasers, and she can sing too. We both love to read. We exchange e-books all the time. I haven't told her about you yet, though. I really haven't talked to her this week. I'll have to make sure I call her tomorrow. I know she's going to start asking me about grandkids. Clara is still in college, so she doesn't expect any from her." Lacey says.

"Are you and Clara close?" Danny asks.

"Yes, and we're somewhat alike. She isn't a people pleaser like I am, and she's extremely comical. She's my best friend though. She has never liked Jo, and often wondered why we were even friends since we're so different." Lacey says.

"Well, that makes two of us." Danny admits truthfully.

"Wanna hear something funny?" Lacey asks.

"Of course." Danny replies.

"The day we met, I work up feeling like I needed to be excited about something. I told Jo about it that morning, and she said that maybe I'd meet the man of my dreams that day." Lacey says.

"That is actually the first thing that she has said that I don't have a problem with. So, you're saying that I'm the man of your dreams?" Danny asks as he pulls her closer and kisses the side of her forehead.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Lacey says as she pulls his arms up to kiss his hand.

"You're the woman of my dreams too, Lacey." Danny says.

* * *

The next morning, Lacey got up to start doing her laundry since they'd be going to Danny's mother's house later and she didn't know what time they would return. She left Danny sleeping in her bed as she threw on a tank and pajama pants, grabbed her hamper and went downstairs. She was sitting at the counter in the kitchen reading a magazine when Danny came downstairs to sit next to her.

Lacey looks over at him and smiles. "Good morning." Lacey says.

"Good morning. What are you up to?" Danny asks.

"Just doing some laundry before we head out. I wasn't planning on actually fixing breakfast, but if you're hungry, I can make you something." Lacey says.

"No, that's ok. I can probably just eat a bowl of cereal. I hope you have some Frosted Flakes." Danny says.

"Yes, I do. I love Frosted Flakes." Lacey says as she grins at him.

"Just another thing we have in common." Danny jokes as Lacey giggles.

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Lacey asks.

"No. I'm capable of making my own bowl of cereal. Do I have permission to rummage through your kitchen?" Danny asks.

"Of course you do. I gave you a key, so what's mine is yours. Never eat my ice cream though." Lacey says jokingly.

"Ok. I won't touch your ice cream." Danny says as he gets up to look through the cabinets. "Are you going to eat?" Danny asks as he reaches for the bowls.

"No. I'm not hungry. I'll probably just eat a banana or something." Lacey says.

Danny fixes his bowl of cereal and sits down next to Lacey. He looks around for a minute. "Where's Daisy? I haven't seen her." Danny asks.

"In the window. She likes to stare outside." Lacey says.

"How long have you had her?" Danny asks.

"Two years. I got her when she was a kitten." Lacey asks.

"What made you want a cat? For the companionship or what?' Danny asks

"Yes, and also because I don't like rodents. Like, not at all. I don't ever want to see a mouse or something in my house. You have no idea how badly they freak me out." Lacey says.

"Wimp." Danny jokes. "I'm not afraid of anything, but I think owls are creepy." Danny says as he puts a spoonful of cereal to his mouth.

Lacey smirks. "I think they're creepy too. I think it's the eyes." Lacey says.

"I totally agree and the way they move their necks." Danny says as he finishes his cereal and goes to the sink to wash his bowl and spoon out. "I have to head over to my place to get a few things. I'm staying here tonight, is that ok with you?' Danny asks.

"Yes, that's perfectly ok with me. I told you you can stay here whenever you want." Lacey says.

"Good. Well, I'm staying until I get on your nerves. Are we going to drive into work together then?" Danny asks.

"I don't see why not. We don't have anything to hide." Lacey says. "Wait, I just thought about it. Tomorrow is my salon day with the girls. We go every two weeks after school. I won't be long, I just have to get my mani and pedi done. Although Jo probably won't come." Lacey says.

"Ok." Danny says. "I'm gonna head up and throw something on and head to my place. I'll be back soon." Danny says as he kisses her on the cheek before leaving the kitchen.

"Ok. See you when you get back." Lacey says as she gets up to take the clothes out of the washing machine. She throws that load in the dryer and puts another load in. Since she has a little bit of free time, she decides to call her parents. She knows they get up early for church. Lacey grabs her phone and calls her parents' house. Her mother answers on the second ring.

"Hello?" Judy says.

"Hi, Mom. It's me. How are you?" Lacey asks.

"Cee-Cee! I'm good. I'm happy to hear from you since you forget to call your dear mother. How are you?" Judy asks.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I've been busy. I'm great though. How is Dad?" Lacey asks as she walks towards her living room to relax on the couch.

"He's fine. He's still getting ready for church. Have you talked to your sister?" Judy asks.

"Yes. I talked to her the other day. Have you?" Lacey asks.

"No. Both of my daughters forget to call me." Judy says while trying to lay a guilt trip on Lacey.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I've been busy. We started cheerleading practice and I've been busy. Mom, I met someone." Lacey says cheerfully.

"You did? Where? What's his name?" Judy asks.

"Danny Desai. I met him at school. He's a new teacher there. He's the new soccer coach." Lacey says.

"That's why you've been too busy to call me. And he's a soccer coach, huh?" Judy asks.

"Yes. He's the new physical education teacher too." Lacey says as she grins.

"Gym teacher and soccer coach. That's exactly the man for you. I can only imagine what he looks like." Judy says.

Lacey starts to giggle. "He's gorgeous. And he's awesome. And I love him, Mom." Lacey says truthfully.

Danny is on his way down the stairs when he hears Lacey say that and it makes him smile. He stops and leans down to kiss her before he leaves. "I'll be back soon." Danny whispers.

"Ok. I'll see you soon." Lacey says as her mother hears her.

"Is that him?" Judy asks.

"Yes. He's getting ready to leave." Lacey says.

"Let me speak to him." Judy says.

Lacey pulls the phone away from her mouth. "She wants to speak to you." Lacey says as Danny smirks and takes the phone.

"Hi. Mrs. Porter. I'm good and you?" Danny asks. "Yes I will. Well, I love her too." Danny says as he winks at Lacey.

* * *

When Danny came back with his things, he found Lacey upstairs in her bedroom folding laundry. She looked up and smiled when he walked into the room. Just the sight of him caused her to smile. She had to thank somebody for allowing him to walk into her life. "You're back." Lacey says in a happy tone.

"Yup. I'm back. Did you miss me?" Danny asks.

"I did. I thought about you the entire time you were gone." Lacey says.

"I thought about you the entire time too." Danny says. "We have to start getting ready soon because my mom wants us there by 11." Danny says.

"Ok. I'm finished folding now. I just need to put these away. Oh, and I gave you a drawer." Lacey says as she walks over to her dresser.

"Awww, my own drawer. You really like me." Danny jokes.

"Yes, I really like you." Lacey says as she pecks him on the lips. They undress and shower together. They get dressed with Lacey wearing a green and white flowered dress and green ballet flats. Danny put on a white polo and black jeans. They headed out to Danny's car and made the drive to Karen and Jack's. It was a pretty and sunny Sunday morning. They rode listening to the radio and enjoying the fresh air. When they made it to the house, Danny lead Lacey inside just like he did the day before. Karen practically came running from the kitchen to greet them when they first walked into the house.

"You're here!" Karen says as she gives both Danny and Lacey a hug.

"You seem excited, Mom." Danny says.

"I am excited. It isn't everyday that my favorite son brings his girlfriend over for a barbecue." Karen says.

"I'm your only son." Danny points out.

"I know that. But you've never brought a girlfriend home to meet me, either." Karen says. "I was beginning to think you would never settle down."

"Thanks, Mom." Danny says sarcastically as Lacey starts to laugh.

"Oh, lighten up. Lacey is probably happy to hear she's the only woman you've ever introduced me to. Right Lacey?" Karen asks.

"Yes, Ma'am." Lacey says politely.

"Go outside with Jack so Lacey and I can talk." Karen says as she grabs Lacey's hand and pulls her with her. They go to sit in the living room as Danny heads toward the kitchen. Lacey sits down and sees pictures of Danny when he was younger. There's a picture of him standing with a man he looks almost exactly like. Lacey figures it must be Danny's father Vikram. Danny got his good looks from his extremely good-looking father, although Karen is very pretty.

"So, tell me about yourself Lacey." Karen says as she sits across from Lacey.

"Well, what would you like to know? I'm an open book." Lacey says as she smiles at Karen. She already adores his mother, and she hopes she likes her just as much.

"Why did you become a teacher, hobbies, what your life is like. That sort of thing. " Karen says.

"Well, I became a teacher because I love children. I decided to become an English teacher because of my love for literature. I love to read. I was a gymnast throughout childhood, and I was a cheerleader in college. I'm now the cheerleading coach at the school where Danny and I work. I love my girls, all of my students really. I have a cat named Daisy and I have a younger sister named Clara. I sound pretty boring, don't I?" Lacey asks when she finishes talking.

"No, you don't seem boring at all. I see exactly why Danny is so in love with you." Karen says and she watches Lacey's reaction to her saying that. "I know you're not questioning his love for you, are you?" Karen asks.

"No. I just didn't know you knew that. I really love him too even if we did just meet. We've spent a lot of time together since then." Lacey says.

"Oh, I know. Because I can tell by the way he looks at you. And because he came over here excited the day that he met you." Karen says.

"He did?" Lacey asks in surprise.

"Yes, he did. He told me that he met his wife." Karen says.

Lacey tries to stop herself from blushing, but she really can't help herself. "Wow." Is all Lacey can say.

"I was just teasing Danny earlier, but you really are the first woman he has ever introduced me to. So, when he told me that he met his wife, I knew it had to be real." Karen says.

"The morning of the day we met, I woke up feeling like something exciting was going to happen to me. My friend told me I might meet the man of my dreams, and I met Danny." Lacey says.

"Well, if that isn't destiny, I don't know what is. I haven't seen Danny this happy in a long time. Well, not this happy since his father died. And I've never seen him in love. He's had girlfriends and dates and things, of course. Look at him. Women throw themselves at him, but he has never told me about anybody. He can't stop talking about you. He really loves you." Karen says.

"I really love him too. I feel like I've known him forever. I was already happy, but Danny has made me happier. I'm so glad he walked into my life. I almost lost out on happiness." Lacey says.

"You're talking about your friend, aren't you?" Karen asks.

Lacey looks at Karen in surprise. "Yes. How did you know? Danny told you?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. And he didn't know what to do about it. He really started to love you when he saw what you'd do for the people you love. It frustrated him though. He thought you were worth the chase, and he didn't want to upset you. But he really thought you were crazy for trying to push him towards your friend when he would never be happy with her. And that you had feelings for him, but didn't want to act on them and hurt your friend." Karen says.

"My sister and my other friend told me I was crazy for trying to pass him up. I see now that I was." Lacey admits.

"So how is your relationship with your friend now that you two are a couple?" Karen asks.

Lacey frowns slightly. "We're not friends anymore. She wanted me to choose between her and Danny. I chose myself. Danny just happens to be a part of me being happy." Lacey says.

"I'm sorry to say this Lacey, but she isn't your friend. A true friend would never ask that aof you. And I can see how wonderful you are. You shouldn't ever be unhappy. Your spirit is too bright for that." Karen says.

Lacey feels a tear roll down her cheek and she wipes it away. "Thank you for that, Mom." Lacey says.

"See, I love you already too. You called me Mom." Karen says as she gets up to go to Lacey and grabs her hand. "Come on. Lets go bother our men." Karen says.

* * *

Karen and Lacey go outside to find Danny and Jack at the grill talking. Karen walks her over to introduce her to Jack.

"Lacey, this is my husband Jack." Karen says.

Jack smiles and extends his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lacey." Jack says.

"It's nice to meet you too, Jack." Lacey says as she smiles.

"Danny, you did good. You described her perfectly." Jack says.

Danny reaches for Lacey. "I know I did good. I couldn't possibly do better." Danny says as he kisses Lacey on her cheek.

* * *

The next morning, Danny and Lacey got up to head into work. They did their almost usual routine of showering together and then getting dressed together. They hadn't even discussed it, but when they got dressed, they matched again. Lacey stepped out of her closet wearing a gray pencil dress and gray pumps. She took in what Danny had on: gray slacks, black button down shirt and gray tie. She just stopped and looked at him.

"People are going to say we planned this. One of us needs to change." Lacey says seriously.

"What? Why?" Danny asks.

"We match again, Danny." Lacey says.

"So, that just shows how connected we are. I'm not even going to keep this on the whole day." Danny says.

"Well, I guess you're right. You look good enough to eat though." Lacey says as she walks over to him and hugs and kisses him.

"We can have a quick round before we go in if you want." Danny says as he smirks at her.

"You and I both know that there's no such thing as quick when it comes to our rounds." Lacey says.

"I can't help that I want to satisfy my woman." Danny says cockily.

"And I am very satisfied." Lacey says as she pecks his lips. Danny grabs a handful of her backside as Lacey rubs her hands across his crotch. Danny instantly gets aroused.

"Look what you did, Lacey." Danny says as he points to his erection.

"I'll take care of that later. I'll come to your office lunchtime." Lacey says.

"Ms. Porter, are you suggesting we fool around at school?" Danny asks.

"Yes, Mr. Desai." Lacey says.

* * *

Danny and Lacey pulled into the parking lot at the worst time. The same time Jo pulled in. She saw Lacey and Danny arriving together, and matching and it pissed her off. But she pushed it away. She missed her best friend. She never thought Lacey wouldn't choose her. She walked over to Danny's car.

"Hey." Jo says to Lacey and Danny.

Lacey turns slightly to look at Danny. "Hey Jo." Lacey says. Danny doesn't speak, but he gives a slight wave.

"Look, I came to apologize. I never should have given you an ultimatum. You're my best friend and I love you and I'm happy for you." Jo says as she starts to cry.

Lacey gives Jo a hug. "It's ok. I accept your apology." Lacey says.

"And I'm sorry for coming into your house and catching you like that, Danny." Jo says.

"It's fine, Jo." Danny says. He doesn't believe her tears or her apology for a second, but he'll support Lacey no matter what. Jo goes in to give Lacey another hug. It's too bad that Danny didn't see the sly smile that formed on Jo's face when she patted Lacey on her back.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hello loyal fans and readers. I feel I must apologize to all of you. I apologize for letting the reviews of ONE individual, make me want to discontinue my story. I was already in a bad mood about the review that this same person left on another story of mine. Actually, this is the third time that this person felt the need to criticize what I wrote, because it wasn't what she wanted to read. That person was told not to review any more of my stories, and for her sake, I hope she listened. I feel like people have no right to criticize and to kill the spirit of a writer, when they can't or don't have any intentions of doing better. I do this for fun because I love the pairing of Dacey, and it makes me happy. If romance, and a happy and good relationship is overkill, then so be it. I feel like Dacey has enough drama, conflict, and angst on the show. I don't have to put it here if I don't want to. I will write this story how I see fit, and if you have a problem with the way I write my story, then you can stop reading and/or write your own. It's as simple as that. This site is 100% free. It costs nothing to post a story. I can take criticism, but to blatantly tell me how to write my story is unacceptable and I'm not allowing that to happen. I have a vision for this story, and where it ends up, will be totally up to me. I repeat, if you don't like the way it's going, don't like the way I use or not use the Twisted characters, you can leave and you will not be missed. **

**And to the people that sent me so many kind and encouraging reviews and messages, I love and appreciate every one of you. I love that some of you aren't allowing me to quit, love the way I write, and what I have to offer. The people that came to my defense and called the critic out on her b.s., I thank you. I am truly humbled and touched by your unwavering support. It means the world to me. You guys are the reason that I write and the reason that I have to continue. There isn't a reason for me to stop writing this story when so many people like it and are eager for updates. It would be totally unfair to you guys to leave a story unfinished, because one person felt the need to make this not fun for me anymore. I think that was their intention and it actually worked for a while. But right now, I'm in a better place and I really don't care what petty reviews somebody feels the need to leave. Like my sister told me, "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show." She's right and it doesn't. I'd also like to give an wxtra special thanks to the reviewer that pointed out that this same person encouraged another writer not to quit when almost everybody had a problem with and didn't like their story. That is a bit hypocritical. Some of you may feel like I'm going too far by putting how I feel into this author's note, and you may be right, but this is something that I want everybody to read. **

**So again, I say to all of you, I apologize and I'm back to finish this story. Finishing this story is the right thing to do, and I must honor that. Thank you for reading and your continued support.**

**Ravenbabe321**

* * *

Danny, Lacey, and Jo made their way into the building to sign in. When they were inside the office, Rico walked in. He spoke to everyone, but his face lit up at the sight of Jo. They all left the office together and Danny gave Lacey a quick peck on her lips before he made his way to the gymnasium. Jo didn't mean to, but she cringed when they kissed. Rico noticed it, and it almost made him cringe. He knew what that meant. He pretty much worships Jo, and knows a lot about her. He didn't even have to ask, but he could see that Jo didn't like Danny kissing Lacey.

"See you guys later." Lacey said as she made her way to her classroom.

"Ok." Both Jo and Rico said.

Jo and Rico continued to walk down the hall towards their classrooms. "So, those two are a couple now?" Rico asks.

Jo frowns. "I guess so." Jo says in exasperation.

"Why do you sound like you don't like that they're a couple?" Rico asks.

"Because I saw him first, and Lacey took him from me." Jo says.

"What?" Rico asks.

"Yeah. My best friend stabbed me in the back." Jo says.

"But how Jo? You weren't dating him, were you?" Rico asks and he hopes that the answer is no. It'll break his heart to hear that she was dating another man.

Jo exhales sharply. "No, we weren't dating. But we could have been. We would be if she hadn't stole him from me. His first day here, I told Lacey and the girls about him. He was out on the soccer field with Principal Stokes when I showed him to them. She wouldn't even know about him if it wasn't for me. She knew I liked him, and she still dated him. She caused him to back out on our date." Jo says. It's amazing how bitter and delusional she is.

"You two went out on a date?" Rico asks.

"Well, we met up. He didn't want to stay because he found out Lacey was _sad _about our date. He just left me at the restaurant. If I didn't tell him she was sad, we would have had our date. Now she's screwing him." Jo says harshly.

"I'm sorry Jo. But it seems like he likes her, if he didn't want to stay on your date and hurt her." Rico says quietly.

"Whose side are you on?" Jo asks nastily.

"Yours! I'm on your side." Rico says.

"I can't believe she did this to me. She knows I saw him first." Jo says.

"Well, Jo. I saw you first." Rico says quietly.

"What?" Jo asks.

"I said I saw you first. Yet you want him." Rico says.

'Rico, you and I are friends." Jo says.

"Yeah, we're friends, but you know I want more. I love you. You're my dream girl." Rico says.

"Rico, please." Jo says.

'Forget it Jo." Rico says as he walks away from her.

Jo just did to Rico, the same thing Danny did to her. But she can't seem to feel sorry for anyone other than herself.

* * *

Lacey made her way to her classroom and opened the windows. She watered her plants and got ready for her students to arrive. She was sitting at her desk when they started coming in. Jason Rogers walked in and went up to Lacey's desk. He pulled out a small azalea plant and sat it on Lacey's desk and smiled. Uh oh.

"Good morning, Ms. Porter." Jason says as he smiles.

"Good morning, Jason. What's this?" Lacey asks. His little gift makes her very nervous.

"Just a plant for my favorite teacher." Jason says as he smiles and goes to his seat.

Lacey appreciates all gifts that she receives, but this one makes her think too much. She doesn't want to lead the young boy on, or hurt his feelings. She'll just put it with her other plants. Lacey heard the bell signaling the start of the day. She takes attendance and starts her day. She hopes it goes by fairly easy. She can't wait until lunchtime.

When her first three classes are over, the girls start to arrive. Sarita naturally came first since she's so close. Then Jo arrived, still looking like she's in mourning. Regina and Phoebe arrive together. Lacey feels like she hasn't seen them in a while. Regina gets a good look at Jo's face and can't wait to go in on her.

"What's wrong, Jo?" Regina asks.

"Oh, nothing." Jo answers quietly.

"Then why do you look like somebody just died?" Regina asks.

'She's upset about Lacey and the new soccer coach." Sarita says.

"No, I'm not." Jo lies.

Lacey cuts her eyes at Sarita. "Sarita." Lacey says.

Regina and Phoebe look from Lacey to Jo to Sarita. "What about Lacey and the new soccer coach?" Regina asks, hoping to make Jo upset.

"Yeah, what about you two?" Phoebe asks.

Lacey lets out a sigh. She looks at Jo before speaking. "We're a couple now." Lacey says as she smiled, though she didn't want to.

"What?!" Phoebe screams.

"Good for you, Lacey. He is hotter than fire." regina says.

"Smoking hot." Sarita says and she and Regina crack up laughing.

"So, how's the sex?" Regina asks.

"Regina. Have some class." Phoebe says.

"I'm not telling you that." Lacey says.

"That means it's good. If it was bad, you'd be telling us all about how bad it was." Regina says.

Suddenly, Lacey remembers that she is supposed to meet Danny in his office. "I'll be right back." Lacey says.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe asks.

"To the bathroom." Lacey lies.

"Liar." Regina says. "You're gong for a quickie in the gym."

"She sure is. Can't say I blame her." Sarita says.

"I am not." Lacey lies again before she leaves the classroom.

* * *

Lacey practically ran to the gym. She burst into Danny's office and shut the door and rushed over to him. He was sitting in his chair at his desk. Lacey climbed on top of him and straddled him. She smiled at him before she connected her lips to his. She kissed him hungrily as she felt his erection grow beneath her. She felt him take one hand from behind his back and slide it up her thigh slowly and then stopped at her silk panties. He pulled them aside and slowly stuck two of his fingers inside of her as the other hand caressed her butt.

"I thought you weren't coming." Danny says as he breaks the kiss.

"I got side tracked by the girls. They started hounding me to tell them how good the sex is. I lied and said I was going to the bathroom." Lacey says as she grinds her body along with the movement of his fingers.

"Then we won't have time to do anything." Danny says as he continues moving his fingers inside of her.

"I know. It sucks. I think us working together is going to become a problem." Lacey says as she kisses him again.

"Want me to quit?" Danny asks.

"Of course not. I need you here to get my lunchtime snack." Lacey says as she bites lightly on his lower lip.

"Are you only with me for snacking, Ms. Porter?" Danny asks.

"Of course not. I'm with you for the whole meal. But the snacks are great." Lacey says as she climbs off of his lap and stands up to straighten her dress.

"I'm so glad we don't have practice today." Danny says.

"Yeah, me too. But remember, I'm going out with the girls after work. I'll just get a ride with one of them." Lacey says. "Do you have plans after work?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. I'm meeting my buddy Louie to shoot hoops. Unless you want me to come to the salon with you and the girls." Danny says with a hug grin plastered on his face.

"Nope. You need to hang out with your friends. Besides, we need to miss each other." Lacey says as she bends down to peck him on his lips. "I've gotta go." Lacey says as she heads for the door.

"I miss you already." Danny says.

* * *

Lacey hurried back to her classroom. When she walked in, they immediately started drilling her.

"Awfully long bathroom break." Sarita says.

"Yeah. There was a line." Lacey lies as she walks over to her desk.

"Well, when I went to the bathroom, I didn't see a line." Regina says as she smiles.

"Oh, I went to the other teacher's bathroom because someone was in the closest one." Lacey lies again.

Sarita, Phoebe, and Regina start laughing. Jo looks like she's at a funeral. "Why are you lying to us? We know you just had a quickie with Danny." Sarita says animatedly.

Lacey looks up and pauses. "We did not have a quickie." Lacey finally tells the truth.

"You didn't?" Jo asks.

"No, I didn't." Lacey admits.

"I think you're lying." Regina teases.

"I think you're lying too. You're practically glowing. Just like you were the other day." Sarita says.

"I am not glowing." Lacey says as she grins.

"You are kind of glowing though, Lacey." Phoebe says.

"Yeah, and I saw you two texting each other at the meeting the other day. You guys thought people weren't paying attention, but they were." Regina says.

"So, we texted at the meeting. What is the big deal?" Lacey asks.

"The big deal is I'm glad to see you glowing and happy. You were miserable last week. And we all know why." Sarita says as she turns to Jo. "No offense."

Jo frowned to hide her discomfort. "Why did you just say that? You're making it seem like I'm the reason she was miserable." Jo says.

"You are!" Sarita exclaims.

"I am not!" Jo yells.

"You knew they were interested in each other. And you continued to make that childish proclamation, because you know Lacey doesn't like to hurt people. You knew she would pass him up if she thought you wanted him. He paid you no attention, and you still did that." Sarita says.

"Ok ladies. That's enough. Please knock it off. I'm fine now." Lacey says.

Jo mumbles. "But I'm not."

"What did you say?' Sarita asks.

"Nothing. I've gotta go." Jo says as she stands up to leave.

"Are you coming with us after school?" Lacey asks Jo.

"No. I don't feel like being attacked." Jo says as she leaves the room.

"She is unbelievable." Sarita says as she stands up to leave.

"Can you blame her?" Lacey says in defense of her friend.

"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt you Lacey. But your friend is a real piece of work." Sarita says.

"She's your friend too, Sarita." Lacey says.

"No, she's not. She's your friend. I only tolerate her because of you." Sarita admits truthfully.

"I kind of have to agree." Regina says.

"What about you Phoebe?" Lacey asks.

"I don't want to say." Phoebe says.

"See? All of us aren't wrong, Lacey." Sarita says as she leaves Lacey's classroom.

Regina leaves without a word. Phoebe smiles at her before she leaves.

Lacey shakes it off and doesn't let it ruin her good mood.

* * *

At the end of the day, Lacey is straightening up her room when Sarita walks in. "I'm sorry Lacey." Sarita says.

Lacey looks up at her petite friend. "It's ok Sarita. I know how Jo is, and I know that she's hard to take sometimes. I guess I'm just used to it since we've been friends so long. I obviously don't see what others see. I shouldn't have tried to force her on to you guys. You don't have to be best friends, but could you please try to get along for my sake. Please?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. I'll keep the peace. For you." Sarita says.

"Good." Lacey says.

"So, are you ready to get pampered?" Sarita asks.

"Yes. And I need to ride with you. I rode in with Danny this morning. Is that ok? Do you feel like dropping me off?" Lacey asks as she walks over to get her purse from the bottom of her desk.

"Sure, it's ok. You don't even have to ask. Of course I can drop you off." Sarita says before she pauses for a moment. "So, you two are getting pretty close huh?" Sarita asks.

Lacey smiles brightly. "Yes, we are. I really like him." Lacey says.

"Nah. You more than like him. You love him." Sarita accuses.

"I can't lie to you or anyone about this. I really do love him. He makes me blissfully happy." Lacey admits.

"I can see that. But you're also worried about what people might think. You think it's too soon." Sarita says as they leave Lacey's classroom and heads down the hallway.

"I really was at first.. Now, I'm just embracing it and going with the flow. I can't help that I fell in love. It doesn't make it less valid because we just met." Lacey says..

"No, you can't. You found the perfect guy for you. You shouldn't run or hide from that. I can tell how happy he makes you." Sarita says.

"Well, I'm glad people can see how happy I am." Lacey says as they're finally at the front of the building.

"Ms. Porter? Ms. Porter? Principal Stokes would like to see you before you leave." Carmen, the secretary says from the office.

"I'll be in my car." Sarita says as she starts to walk away.

"Ok. This shouldn't take long." Lacey says as she walks into the office and goes to knock on Principal Stokes' door.

"Come in, Ms. Porter. Have a seat." Principal Stokes says. "We have another party that will be joining us, then we'll get started." Principal Stokes says as she smiles at Lacey.

"Ok." Lacey says as she sits down and crosses her legs. She pretended that she didn't see Principal Stokes check her out.

A few minutes later, Danny walks up and knocks on the office door. "Mr. Desai. Come on in and have a seat" Principal Stokes says as he gets up to close his office door.

Lacey looks over at Danny subtly. They both instantly think that whatever Principal Stokes wants to meet with them about has to do with the soccer team and the cheerleaders. Principal Stokes walks back to sit at his desk. He just sits there for a moment before speaking.

"So, how are you two today?" Principal Stokes asks.

"I'm fine." Lacey says.

"I'm great." Danny answers.

"And how are things going for you so far, Mr. Desai." Principal Stokes asks.

"Great. I love it here already." Danny says.

"I guess you two are wondering why I brought you in here. Am I correct in my assumptions?" Principal Stokes asks.

"Yes." Lacey says.

Danny counters with a "Yes" of his own.

''Well, lets cut right to the chase shall we?" Principal Stokes asks as he pauses. "I've been informed that you two are dating. And while there isn't exactly a rule against school romances, it is frowned upon." Principal Stokes says.

Lacey looks over at Danny who hasn't budged. "Excuse me?" Danny asks.

"Just let me finish, Mr. Desai. Furthermore, it has also been brought to my attention that you two engaged in sexual intercourse on school grounds. I hope that isn't true because I would hate to see you both lose your careers over something like that." Principal Stokes says.

"May I ask how that claim was brought to your attention?" Danny asks.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Principal Stokes answers

Danny and Lacey communicate without words and encourage each other ro remain calm. " You're not at liberty to say? Well, that is totally inaccurate, and quite frankly, I'm appalled by your accusations." Lacey says calmly.

"And why is that, Ms. Porter?" Principal Stokes asks.

"Because they are unfounded. And I'm appalled that you would even call us in here and accuse us of such things, when you yourself, have engaged in sexual intercourse and activity with several teachers at this school." Lacey says as she watches his reaction. It's priceless. He knows he has no defense.

"Well, I think we have a misunderstanding. You two enjoy your evening." Principal Stokes says as he stands and walks over to his office door and opens it. Danny and Lacey get up to leave his office. Lacey looks him dead in his eyes. And the look Danny gave him let him know to never bring him in his office for that kind of nonsense again.

Danny and Lacey walk out of the office and out of the building. They walk over to his car so they can talk in private. Once they're at the car, Danny starts to speak.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asks.

"That was Principal Stokes being a douche." Lacey says.

"Why would he call us in there with that crap? Who told him something like that?" Danny asks.

"Because he's a jackass. And my money is on my former best friend, Jo." Lacey says.

"I have to say I agree. What did you tell them?" Danny asks.

"I told them nothing. I already told you that I told them I was in the bathroom. They didn't believe me though. I just have a feeling she did it though." Lacey says.

"I really don't even know what to say. I guess it's a good thing that you had dirt on him, though." Danny says as he eyes her carefully.

"Yeah, he didn't know that I'm aware of the fact that he's a pervert. Bastard." Lacey says.

"Well, thank you for handling it, because I was about to hit him." Danny says. "No one disrespects my woman in that way."

"Awww, you're so sexy when you're protective." Lacey says as she leans forward to kiss him.

"Please don't do anything to turn me on. I don't need another erection." Danny says.

"Well, I promise to give you one later. And I'll handle that one. Is that a deal?" Lacey asks.

"Yes, It's a deal." Danny says.

"I'll see you later." Lacey says as she walks over to Sarita's car.

Once Lacey is inside Sarita's car, she looks over at her and says, "You two need a room." Sarita says.

"Apparently we do. What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this car, understand?" Lacey says. "I'm serious. No bringing it up in front of Jo. Don't bring it up again."

"Jeez, Lacey. I promise not to say a word." Sarita says honestly.

"Principal Stokes called me and Danny in there because he heard we were dating and that it was brought to his attention that we engaged in sexual intercourse on school grounds." Lacey says and waits for Sarita's reaction.

Sarita looks over at Lacey with eyes the size of saucers. "You have got to be kidding me?" Sarita asks.

'No, I'm not kidding." Lacey says and Sarita starts cursing in Spanish. "Sarita! I don't understand that." Lacey says.

"Sorry. It's a habit." Sarita says. "I'm not going to say anything. Who do you think told him that?" Sarita asks.

"Who do you think?" Lacey asks. Sarita starts cursing in Spanish again and Lacey just looks at her.

"Sorry, I can't help it. So what happened?" Sarita asks.

"I told him his accusations were false and that I didn't think it was right for him to accuse us of that when he has sex with teachers on school grounds." Lacey says.

"You didn't." Sarita asks.

"I sure did." Lacey says. And they both cackle with laughter as they head to the spa. When they get there, Phoebe and Regina are already there. They chat for a moment, and stop when Jo enters, smiling from ear to ear.

"You decided to come." Sarita says to Jo. "She decided to come." Sarita says as she looks at everyone.

"Hey, if I'm crowding you." Jo says.

" Of course you aren't crowding us. It's fine, Jo. We're all happy that you're here. We can't have girls day without you." Lacey says as she grabs Jo's hand and walks into the back of the spa. They all remove their shoes and put their robes on. They then make their way to the massaging pedicure chairs. They are all served sparking cider as they get their pedicures.

Jo's aesthetician asks her what color she wants, she smiles and says. "Red. I'm feeling kind of naughty."

Lacey didn't miss the sly smile. Neither did Sarita.

* * *

**I apologize for this update being lackluster and unfullfilling. My heart might not really be in it. I hope you enjoy it despite my feelings about it. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello all! I'm back in my groove. My heart was totally in to this chapter. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews are hugs! :)**

**I DO NOT OWN the lyrics to "Body Party" by Ciara. Was only used for entertainment purposes only. And a special Thank You to my sister, Monni2215 for suggesting that I add the scene between Danny and Louie. Thanks Sis!**

**Warning: The last paragraph is full of mature content. It starts with *****5 stars. Please be advised accordingly. I must warn you that you may experience hot flashes, heart palpitations, and the sudden urge to squirm in your seat. And I must warn you that some of you may get pregnant. If you have a baby that looks just like Danny, it is not my fault. He's rich so he can afford child support. **

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

During her manicure and pedicure, Lacey let her mind wander. She really had Danny on her mind. As the chair massaged her back, she thought of Danny's hands on her and she started feeling a little aroused. She thought of their little activities earlier in his office. Even though she needed to get her mani and pedi done, she suddenly wished that she wasn't there. She wished that she was home doing things with Danny. She was with her girlfriends doing girly things, and he was shooting hoops with his buddy. She wondered how long he would be. She didn't want to seem like a needy girlfriend, but she wanted her man. She got really lost in thought. She started fantasizing about his body. She started thinking of his lips. Lips that were so soft and framed by the goatee that she loved. She started picturing his lips kissing her. Then she thought of his hair. God, she loved his hair. She never even thought to ask him why he decided to grow it long. She didn't even know how long he'd been growing it. It just never seemed important enough to ask. Now, she thought about how much his hair turned her on. And how she'd feel if he ever cut it. She doesn't think she'll function if he cuts his hair. She even loved it when it was in a bun. She loved when it was out when they were making love. She loved the way it felt between her hands and fingers when his face was buried between her legs, and she had no choice but to grab it. It didn't matter, she loved his hair. And she was in the shower with him when he washed it, now she had the sudden desire to wash his hair. Then she started thinking of the hair he had on his body. He had just the right amount, and in the right places. The hair that was on his chest, she loved to bury her face in. He didn't have any on his back, _Thank God! _The hair he had on his stomach was to die for. It framed his abs perfectly, and he had an extremely sexy treasure trail that lead to the penis that God must have given him personally with instructions, and the reason she would never, ever have sex with another man. If something were to tragically happen to him, that would be it for her. She knew from the bottom of her heart that Danny was hand-picked just for her. She did not and would not want anyone else. After her mind drifted to how much she really loved him. she came back to thinking about his perfect body. She had to think about where she stopped. His penis. The Holy Grail and her kryptonite. It filled her up perfectly, and was the perfect size for her. Even though that wasn't a deal breaker, she was thankful that he was blessed in that department. It made her lady parts tingle just thinking about it. She started thinking of how much fun she was going to have with his penis when she got home. Then she started to think of his thighs, that were hairy, but not too hairy. Along with the rest of his legs. They were toned and muscular. She wanted to hug his parents for getting him involved in soccer, because his legs were sexy. And his hands. They were big. And so soft. She remembered how she thought of how big and soft his hands were when they met for the very first time. His hands were so big and soft. She loved the way they felt when he rubbed them all over her. She loved the way his fingers felt when they were inside of her. She thought of his fingers being inside of her earlier, and a little moan escaped her lips. She opened her eyes to see everyone staring at her. She was beyond embarrassed.

"Dang Lacey, are you ok?" Regina asks.

"Yes. I'm fine." Lacey says.

"Then what was that moan you just let out?" Sarita asks.

"What?' Lacey asks, playing dumb.

"You heard me, Lacey. Danny has you moaning for him and he's not even around." Sarita says.

"He must be awesome in bed." Regina says.

"Is he?" Phoebe asks quietly.

Lacey grins. "I have nothing to say." Lacey says.

"Yeah, you just want to moan." Regina says as she and Sarita crack up laughing.

"I don't want to moan." Lacey lies. That exactly what she wants to do. Among other things.

"That was such a lie." Phoebe says.

"I'm not lying." Lacey lies again.

"Well, something is going on with the way you were squirming in that seat." Regina says.

"I am not squirming." Lacey says.

"Not now. But you were a few minutes ago." Phoebe says.

"And then you moaned." Sarita says.

"She's having soccer coach withdrawals. Please tell us how amazing the sex is." Regina says.

"We're not having sex." Lacey lies. Which causes Jo to let out a scoff.

"What was that, Jo?" Regina asks.

"What was what?" Jo asks while trying to play dumb like Lacey was just doing.

"That little sigh you just let out." Phoebe says.

"It was nothing." Jo lies.

"Come on Jo. You're her best friend. Tell us what she told you." Regina says.

"She doesn't have anything to tell you." Lacey says.

"You guys are no fun." Regina says.

"I know. They aren't. Lacey won't tell us anything." Sarita says.

"Why would I tell you guys about my sex life? He could end up being my husband one day. I wouldn't want you guys knowing our activities like that." Lacey admits honestly.

"Alright, alright. Just tell us if he's hung." Regina says.

"You're going too far now, Regina." Phoebe says.

"Yes, she is." Lacey says.

"Alright, I'm sorry. That is too personal. Just give us something. We're dying here." Regina says.

"How about you tell us about your sex life, Regina? How is Principal Stokes in bed?" Lacey asks. She and Sarita notice the look Jo gets on her face at the mention of their principal. Lacey gives Sarita the signal to bring it up, but not really bringing up what happened before they got there.

"He's very kinky, I can tell you that." Regina says.

"What does that mean?" Phoebe asks.

"It just means that he likes things that other men don't." Regina says.

Phoebe makes a face. "Ew." Is all she says and the other women just laugh.

Sarita wants to toy with Jo, so she asks Lacey a question. "So what did kinky Stokes call you to the office for Lacey?" Sarita asks. Jo seems to perk up. Regina and Phoebe do too, but not for the same reason.

"Oh, he wanted to ask us how things were going with the soccer team and the cheerleaders. And he wanted to see how things were going so far for Danny." Lacey says.

"That's all? Carmen made it seem like he needed to see you so urgently." Sarita responds.

Lacey smiles. "That's all. Oh, and he wanted to see how good Danny and I are working together. He knows that Coach Chandler and I worked together pretty well, and wanted to see if Danny and I made a good fit."

"I think you and Danny getting along and working together is an understatement." Sarita says.

"Yeah, and I'll bet he's a good fit too." Regina says and they crack up laughing again.

"No comment." Lacey says.

"Well, since you won't tell us anything sexy, tell us something sweet. And we'll leave you alone." Regina says.

"Well..." Lacey says as she pauses. She knows they're all listening intently. "I met his mother." Lacey says.

"Awwwww, you met his mother. That is so sweet." Phoebe says.

"That is really sweet." Sarita says as she smiles. "Don't tell me he's a mama's boy." Sarita jokes.

"Kind of, but he won't admit that. They're very close though. I love the way they get along with each other." Lacey says. "She teased Danny about her thinking he would never settle down."

"That means you're in there. I know his mother teasing him about that means that she approves." Regina says.

"What was it like meeting her?" Jo asks.

"It was great. She's really sweet. She told me to call her Mom." Lacey says.

"You don't think it's too soon? You guys are moving pretty fast." Jo says.

"No, I don't. I feel like we've known each other forever. And we have spent all of our free time together. We have really gotten to know each other extremely well. We have a lot in common. We want the same things. The futures we see for ourselves are almost identical." Lacey says.

"Did he get his good looks from her?" Phoebe asks.

"No, actually. She's very pretty, and she's petite like you, Sarita. She has blonde hair and blue eyes like you, Jo." Lacey says. Jo gets a weird look at hearing that.

"And they say that men date women like their mothers. Physically, you're the total opposite of that. And you say he's almost a mama's boy? Statistically, he'd bring you home to his mother, Jo." Sarita teases knowing that's what she's thinking.

"What?" Jo asks.

"i was just saying that since men usually love and adore their mothers, they try to find a mate that reminds them of her. Maybe Lacey does personality wise, but through appearances only, he should have chosen you." Sarita says.

"That's interesting." Jo says.

"It is, and she's right. I never thought about it before. And now that I think about it, I look a lot like Tyler's mother." Phoebe says in reference to her husband and mother in law.

"See?" Sarita says.

"Then that just means he saw something really special in you, Lacey." Regina says.

Lacey smiles again. "I guess it does." Lacey says to the other women, though only three of them are listening. Jo is too busy thinking about what Sarita just said. Danny was supposed to choose her instead of Lacey.

* * *

Danny made his way to the gym to meet up with his buddy Louie to shoot hoops. Danny is good, although he's definitely better at soccer. Louie is pretty much a triathlete. He does it all. His job at the indoor rock climbing gym just help him master his craft. He goes actual rock climbing all the time. He kayak's, cycles, and runs. He's like an Olympian it seems. Louie is 25, tall, Italian, cute, and muscular with dark, curly hair and green eyes. A total cutie, just not as cute as Danny. He and Danny have been friends for years. Their love for sports and rock climbing bonded them. Danny arrived before Louie and was dribbling the basketball while waiting for him. Louie walks in and walks straight up to Danny.

"Hey Danny." Louie says.

"Hey Lou. How is everything?" Danny asks.

"Good. But not as good as you. How is that fine woman you brought with you Saturday doing?" Louie asks.

"She's great." Danny says as he tosses the ball to Louie.

"I'll bet. Where did you find her?" Louie asks as he shoots the ball in the basket.

"Work, believe it or not. She's a teacher at the school I just started at. She's also the cheerleading coach for the soccer team I coach." Danny says proudly.

"Brains and beauty. Are there any other fine teachers at that school?" Louie asks.

"Yeah. There are, but none of them are as beautiful as she is. Her friend that teaches Spanish is pretty cute." Danny says.

"Spanish teacher? You've gotta get me in on that." Louie says.

"I'll find out if she's single when I get home. Well, her house. I'm thinking of moving in with her." Danny says.

"Really? You're gonna give up your bachelor pad?" Louie asks.

"Yup. I'm not a bachelor anymore, so I don't need it. I'd rather be with her anyway." Danny says as he takes a shot.

"Are you settling down, Danny? You're taking the plunge?" Louie asks.

"Yup. I finally found her. I know we just met, but it feels like a lot longer. I knew she'd be my wife when I first laid eyes on her." Danny admits.

"She is stunning. She must be awesome though." Louie assumes.

"She is. She's the perfect woman for me. Beautiful, smart, caring, kind, loyal and sassy when she needs to be. She can cook, she's not crazy, she's clean. She's perfect. And I love her." Danny says.

"Alright Danny. This woman has this much going for her? And she was single? You have all the luck." Louie says as he runs past Danny to shoot a lay up.

"Yes. I couldn't believe she was single either. I asked her out as soon as I found out she was available. She turned me down though. I almost missed out on her." Danny says as he shoots the ball.

"Oh, she played that game? How did you win her over?" Louie asks.

"Nope, she wasn't playing any games. She turned me down because she knew her friend wanted me." Danny says.

"Well, what happened with that?" Louie asks..

"Man, that was a nightmare. Lacey really tried to push me with her friend out of loyalty to her. She came up with this crazy notion that since she wanted me, nobody else could have me. She asked me out, and I only went to make Lacey happy, even though she really hated it and felt like she was betraying her friend. When I found out she was upset about it, I cancelled our date when I got to the restaurant. She offered to sleep with me, when I turned her down, she accused me of being gay." Danny says until Louie interrupts him.

"You? Gay? Does she know how many women offer you sex? She sounds like a real piece of work. That isn't the Spanish teacher, right?" Louie asks.

"No. I haven't even told you the worst part. She told Lacey that we slept together. Lacey avoided me like the black plague, until I got it out of her. I made her tell Lacey the truth. She came over and let herself into Lacey's house and caught me in my birthday suit. She has become a real pain in the ass. If you want me to set you up, I will." Danny jokes.

"Hell no. She might boil my dog or something. Is her friend even hot?" Louie asks.

"I'm sure there are men that find her beautiful, but she does nothing for me. She might do it for you though. You like blonde hair and blue eyes, don't you?" Danny asks.

"Yes, but I think I'll pass. I would like to meet the other one. So, you're really off the market, huh?" Louie asks.

"Yup. And I couldn't be happier. I'm not letting her go. And my mother loves her." Danny says.

"Mom approved? Yeah, she's a keeper. And she is a knock out. Does she have a sister?" Louie asks.

"Yeah, she does. She's in college at NYU. They look just alike, but of course I think Lacey is prettier because she's mine." Danny says as he smiles.

"Yeah, I'd like to meet her too." Louie says. "I'm gonna have to settle down too since you're the last of my friends to do so. I won't have anyone to hang out with." Louie jokes.

"I can't believe she just walked into my life like this. She hasn't even been a part of it that long, and now I can't imagine my life without her." Danny admits honestly.

"I never thought I'd see the day. You, being in love." Louie jokes.

"You can really talk when I trade in my car for a mini van and fill it with kids." Danny says as he and Louie both laugh and finish shooting hoops.

* * *

When they left the salon, they all stood outside and prepared to go their separate ways. Jo's look of disappointment hasn't left her face. They all decide to ignore it, because Jo and her ridiculous problems are not on anybody's agenda.

"I've got to head home and get dinner started." Phoebe says.

"Yeah, I just wanna go home and have a glass of wine." Regina says. "We will see you gals tomorrow." Regina says as she walks off with Phoebe to drop her off on her way home.

"So, do either of you have plans tonight?" Jo asks.

"Nope." Sarita says.

"No, I don't have anything planned." Lacey lies.

"Do you need a ride? I saw you got a ride with Danny this morning." Jo offers.

"No, I'm good. Sarita's dropping me off. I have to give her something that I forgot to bring this morning." Lacey lies again.

"What?" Jo asks.

"Oh, just some foundation that's a little too light for me. And it was too expensive to let it go to waste." Lacey says.

"Ok. See you both tomorrow." Jo says as she walks off a little disappointed. She wanted to be nosy.

"Ok. Enjoy your evening." Lacey says.

"Bye." Is Sarita's reply. "Ugh. That was one of the worst hours of my life. She's not making it easy for me to like her, Lacey." Sarita admits.

"I hate to say it, but you're right. Her depression and sulking is really starting to get to me. She acts like she's in mourning. She has taken this way too far.. I feel like shaking her to tell her to snap out of it." Lacey says as she and Sarita are walking towards Sarita's car.

"Right now, I want to do more than shake her. I'd really like to slap her one good time and tell her to come back down to earth. I have never seen a woman be this miserable because a man likes her friend and not her. It's a part of life. We've all been there. My god! She's so insufferable, it makes me sick. She really believes that he should have wanted her. It's ludicrous." Sarita says as she walks around to her drivers' side and hits the power doors switch to let Lacey in.

"Oh, she's really thinking that now since she knows his mother is like her. I had a nice conversation with her. She would not like Jo. She told me that Jo isn't my friend because of what she asked me to do." Lacey says as she buckles her seat belt.

"You told her about her saying he's hers because she saw him first?" Sarita asks as she starts the car up.

"No, but Danny told her he didn't know what to do about me not wanting to be with him because of my loyalty to my friend. I have to tell you something else that i don't want you to repeat. You have to promise me that you won't say anything. Not even if Jo pisses you off to the point you want to smack her. You can't say anything. If you do, just say it in Spanish. Do you promise?" Lacey asks.

"Of course. I won't tell a soul." Sarita admits truthfully. She respects Lacey too much to do that to her.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, so don't interrupt. Just let me finish, ok?" Lacey asks.

"Sure." Sarita says as she starts the car up and pulls off.

"Well, That day that Jo came in wearing a dress, that little exchange between Danny and I upset her. So she moped about it until I introduced them that day after school. She asked him on a date, and he accepted because he didn't want to hurt her feelings and to show her that they aren't compatible. When Jo told me about their plans for a date, I got a little sad. She mentioned that she had plans to sleep with him after. Danny wanted to back out of the date, but I wouldn't let him because of Jo. He asked me if I really wanted him to go on a date with Jo, and I told him no. We ended up kissing that day in the gym. He showed up late to their date and Jo called me wondering if he told me he'd be late. She heard how sad I was on the phone, and told him. He backed out of the date because he didn't want to hurt me. She offered to sleep with him and he turned her down. She accused him of being gay. The next day, she came to work telling me that they had a wonderful date, that he brought her flowers as an apology for being late. She told me they danced and went back to her place. She told me they had sex. So naturally, I was devastated, but didn't want to show it. I started avoiding Danny and he wanted to know why. I finally told him what Jo told me, and he told me she was lying. I didn't believe him and I left school and drove home. He followed me home to find out why I was so upset. When I told him that I wished he had slept with me instead of her, he carried me up to my room and we almost had sex. I stopped because I really thought he had sex with Jo. He then made her tell me the truth. And that's when I stopped caring about her demands, and went for it with him. That was the day you came to my classroom and found him there." Lacey says as she lets out a huge breath after only telling half of the story.

"Oh my god. She is crazy. Bananas, cray cray, nuts, loca." Sarita says. "I can't believe all of that happened. I honestly can't believe you guys are still friends after that. What is her problem? Who lies about something like that?"

"That isn't even the whole story. I usually would tell my sister, but I haven't. She already hates Jo, and this will just make it worse. That same day after practice, Danny came home with me and we did what grown people do, and we decided to make it official. The day after the meeting, he came home with me again, and we again did what grown people do. Jo came over unannounced and uninvited and let herself in with my emergency key because I was ignoring her. She caught Danny naked. I went to her house to confront her, and she asked me to choose between him and her. I chose myself because I saw that she didn't want to see me happy, and we ended our friendship. This morning, she apologized and said she shouldn't have given me an ultimatum like that. And that's the whole story." Lacey says.

Sarita just sits quietly for a moment, and doesn't say a word. She then starts cursing in Spanish and moving her hands rapidly. Lacey just lets her have her moment, and doesn't say a word. What she just said is a lot to process. "Sorry, I needed to get that out." Sarita says.

"I understand. I feel the same way." Lacey admits.

"I've never disliked Jo more than I do right now. Lacey, she is not your friend. I know your feel this sense of loyalty to her, but she doesn't have that same loyalty to you. You are a much better friend to her than she is to you. A true friend would not have done that to you. She lied to you about having sex with him. She asked you to choose between you two. Who does that? What, are you supposed to be miserable for the rest of your life with her? Are you going to become a lesbian and marry and have sex with her? She's crazy. I hope you got your key back." Sarita says.

"I changed the locks." Lacey says.

"Good! You might wake up and find her in your bed, wearing your clothes. She might have come back to make her dream of sleeping with Danny a reality. I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her, Lacey. And I'm saying that as your friend. A friend that would never do that to you." Sarita says.

"Well, you know that old adage, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?' That's how I'm treating this right now." Lacey says.

"Good, because I thought I'd have to shake some sense into you." Sarita says as she finally pulls up in front of Lacey's house.

"Thanks for the ride. Sarita." Lacey says as she leans over to give her friend a hug.

"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow." Sarita says as Lacey gets out of the car.

"Ok. See you tomorrow." Lacey says as she walks up to her front door.

* * *

Lacey walks into her house and sees Daisy sitting on the chair. She walks over to Lacey to brush up against her. Lacey heads into the kitchen to feed Daisy and to see what she plans to have for dinner. She really doesn't know what to cook, so she decides to text Danny to see what his plans are.

_What do you want for dinner?_

His text comes in minutes later.

_You._

Lacey doesn't even try to stop herself from blushing.

_That's dessert, silly._

_I don't care. Are you cooking?_

_Yes. _

_You do know you still owe me my naked lasagna, right?_

_Yes. But I don't have time for that tonight._

_I'm holding you to that._

_I know. What time are you coming home?_

_Soon. After I shower. Or do you want me to wait?_

_No. Go ahead and do it because I have a surprise for you when you get home. We can shower together later. ;)_

_That's a deal._

Lacey goes back to look in the freezer and is relieved to see she has a bag of peeled shrimps. She'll make a shrimp stir fry. Quick and easy. She takes it out and sits everything she needs on the counter before she goes upstairs. She heads straight for her bedroom, undresses and heads for the shower. Once she finishes in there, she gets what she needs for Danny's surprise, throws on some pajama bottoms and a tee-shirt, and heads for her office. She heads for her computer, and prints out what she needs and goes to her gift tote and finds the ribbon. She got a little giddy when she rolled the papers and tied the ribbon around them. She went on iTunes and downloaded some new songs. She took the papers and the chair back into her room. She pulled out several candles and sat them around the room. She got the last thing she needed, and headed downstairs to start cooking. She got out her wok and started cooking. She was humming and chopping green peppers and onions when Danny came in the house. He headed straight for the kitchen.

He kissed her on her cheek. "Hi honey, I'm home." Danny says as he smiles.

"I see that. I'm glad you're home." Lacey says.

"This smells incredible. What are you making?" Danny asks.

"Thanks. It's shrimp stir fry." Lacey says as she throws everything in the wok and stirs up the rice. She goes to grab the bag in the trash can to put it out because of the onions and green peppers. She was heading for the back door when Danny stopped her.

"Lacey, what are you doing?" Danny asks.

She turns back to look at him. "I'm putting the trash out." Lacey says.

"You are not supposed to put the trash out. That's my job. And I'm a little embarrassed I didn't realize that before now. I don't ever want to see you putting trash out. Understand?" Danny says.

"Yes, but it isn't that big of a deal." Lacey says.

"What kind of man would I be to let my woman put trash out while I stand and watch?" Danny asks as he walks over to take the bag from her and goes outside. Lacey just washes her hands and sits at the counter. Danny comes back in and washes his hands and sits down next to her. "Is Sarita single?" Danny asks.

"Yes, as far as I know. She hasn't mentioned anybody to me. Why?" Lacey asks.

"Because my buddy Louie wants to meet her." Danny says.

"How does he even know about her?' Lacey asks.

"He asked me if there were any other teachers at the school as fine as you. I told him you were the prettiest one there, but Sarita is pretty cute. He also asked if you had a sister. He's a good guy, so I wouldn't set either of them up with a creep." Danny says.

"I guess it's fine with me. I don't know how she'd feel about being set up though. But I'll talk to her. Look at you, trying to play matchmaker." Lacey jokes as she nudges him.

"Well, he told me he needed to settle down too since I am. He's the last single one. He won't have anybody to hang out with anymore." Danny says.

"You can still hang out with your friends, Danny." Lacey offers.

"I know, but it will be different. I have no desire to go out and look for women with him. Not that we did that anyway." Danny says as he smirks.

Lacey makes a face. "Yeah, right. I can just imagine you and Louie out at night. Women probably flocked to you." Lacey says.

"Even if that is true, it's in my past. I don't need to go searching for women. I have the woman I want and need." Danny says as he leans over to kiss Lacey.

* * *

*****Danny and Lacey enjoyed the meal that Lacey prepared for them together. They cleaned up the kitchen together and headed upstairs. Lacey was excited and anxious because she knew that Danny knew she had a surprise for him, he just doesn't know what. They walk into the bedroom, and Lacey's inner sex kitten takes over. "Take all of your clothes off and sit in this chair." Lacey says.

"What?" Danny asks.

"I said, take off all of your clothes and sit in this chair." Lacey says as she starts lighting the candles. Danny just starts to undress without a word, but he's wondering what Lacey has in store for him. Once all of the candles are lit, she dims the lights and walks into her closet. She snatches off the pajama bottoms and tee-shirt she has on revealing a black see through and lace teddy. She takes her hair out of the ponytail and puts her black stilettos on. She looks better than a Victoria's Secret model and knows that Danny will like it. She grabs the two rolled up papers and two of Danny's ties, puts them around her neck, puts the rolled up papers in each hand behind her back and walks out of her closet. His face lights up at the sight of her, and he's instantly turned on. She smiles at him as she walks over to him. She pulls her hands from behind her back and holds them out in front of him. "Pick a hand." Lacey says.

"Can i pick both?" Danny asks.

"Nope. You'll like either one though, I promise." Lacey says. Danny thinks for a minute and then picks her left hand. "Open it up and read it out loud."

Danny takes the ribbon off and unrolls the paper. It says.

_I'm treating you to a dance to "Body Party" by Ciara._

Lacey puts the other paper on her dresser. She pulls the ties from around her neck and ties them around Danny's wrist and ties him to the chair. "Are you ready?" Lacey asks.

"I'm more than ready." Danny says.

Lacey turns her iPod on to the song. As the lyrics start to play, She slowly begins dancing for him.

_My body is your party, baby_

_Nobody's invited but you baby_

_I can do it slow now, tell me what you want_

_Baby put your phone down, you should turn it off_

_Cause tonight it's going down, tell your boys it's going down_

_We in the zone now, don't stop_

_You can keep your hands on me, touch me right there, rock my body_

_I can't keep my hands off you, your body is my party_

_I'm doing this little dance for you_

_You got me so excited_

_Now it's just me and you_

_Your body's my party, let's get it started._

_Boy you should know that your love is always on my mind_

_I'm not gonna fight it, I want it all the time_

_Boy you should know that your love is always on my mind_

_I can't deny it, I want you, I want you_

Danny has literally lost his mind sitting in the chair watching Lacey dance for him. He's extremely aroused and wants nothing more than to get out of the chair, and put her in the bed and ravage her. He's so hard and erect, that his penis is standing straight up, just waiting for Lacey. When she moved her body so that her legs and ass were in the air, that was enough for Danny. "Untie me." Danny says.

Lacey just smiles and crawls over to him. She starts to rub his thighs. "What did you say?" Lacey asks.

"I said, untie me. I want you now." Danny says.

"But I'm not finished yet." Lacey says as she smiles at him seductively.

"You're not?" Danny asks.

She smiles at him again and shakes her head. "Nope." Lacey says.

"I still need you to untie me. I need you to untie me so I can touch you." Danny pleads.

Lacey doesn't say anything as she grabs his penis. She looks up at him and smiles before she puts him into her mouth. The sudden wet contact of her mouth on him almost made his toes curl. Danny closes his eyes briefly as he leans his head back. He was completely satisfied and a little overwhelmed at the feel of her mouth wrapped around him. He gripped the arms of the chair as she took as much of him into her mouth as she could and covering the rest with her hand as the other one cups his balls. She continues to bob her head up and down and increases the suction of her mouth on him. "Lacey, Lacey, Lacey." Danny moans. She takes him out of her mouth briefly as she licks along the length of his penis before returning to her previous actions by putting him back into her mouth. She releases him again and does something completely different as she spit on the tip and let it roll down his penis. The sensation of the extra wetness makes him jerk in the chair. "Damn it Lacey!" Danny yells. She then starts to suck on his balls, first one by one and then both at the same time. She takes him back into her mouth and sucks on the head. He suddenly explodes into her mouth as she releases him. "Untie me." Danny says again, and this time Lacey does what he asked. As soon as his hands are free, he jumps from the chair and pulls Lacey to her feet. He catches her by total surprise as he picks her up and almost runs to the bed. He pulls off the teddy she's wearing. Lacey goes to remove her pumps, but Danny stops her. "Keep them on." Danny says as he gets on his knees and pulls her to the edge of the bed. He opens her legs and puts her legs on both of her shoulders. He immediately starts to lick her entire opening just to get her wet and ready. He then moves to her clitoris and starts to suck as the nub starts to swell. He sucks on her swollen nub until she starts calling his name. "Danny! Danny! Shit, Oh my god Danny!" Lacey moans. He then goes back to her lips and rolls his tongue before sticking it in her opening. He thrusts his tongue in and out as he makes love to her with his tongue. He goes back to sucking on her clitoris until Lacey squirts in his face. He looks up at her pleased that he brought that out of her. "That's what I was waiting for." Danny says as he gets up from his knees and stands up. He pulls Lacey up and grabs her as he startles her again by picking her up. He carries her over to the wall and pins her to it. She wraps her legs around his waist as he enters her. He slowly starts to grind into her as she wraps her arms around him and grabs the back of his hair. He tongue kisses her deeply as he continues to pound in to her. She starts to whimper and yells out, "Danny, I'm coming!" He grinds into her until his knees go stiff and he ejaculates into her. He doesn't pull out as he carries her over to the bed to lay her down. He takes his penis out of her and rubs it against her clitoris until he's hard again. He climbs between her legs and enters her slowly and then starts to thrust his hips into her. He really gets into his groove as he hears her moaning his name. He gets on his knees and pulls Lacey's thighs so that her ass is off the bed and he gets a close view of his dick moving in and out of her. Lacey then starts to play with her clitoris. The sight of her touching herself excites and turns him on even more. She starts to shiver and jerk as the orgasm takes over and wrecks her body. He gives her several more hard thrusts before he unloads inside of her again. Danny pulls out of her and lays her down before he lays down beside her. He just looks at the woman he loves, basking in orgasm glow. She turns towards him. "So, did you like your surprise?" Lacey asks as she grins at him.

"I loved my surprise. Now I have to give you one." Danny says. "But first, we need to finish this." Danny says as he pulls her closer to him. "Get on top of me. All I want to see is your ass grinding in to me." Lacey climbs on top of him and sits down on his dick. She leans her body forward as she starts to gyrate her hips and grind on to him. Danny grabs a handful of her ass as they continue to grind into each other. Danny shocks Lacey as he sits up straighter and gets on his knees as he lightly pushes her head down into the mattress and drills her from behind. He gives her ass light smacks as he continues to move inside of her. He feels her walls tighten and grip him as her juices start flowing. Danny grabs her ass tighter and continues to pound until he feels that he's near the edge. He pulls out of her and unloads on to her ass. Lacey climbs up to lay next to him and just smiles at the man she loves.

"That was amazing. You slay me every time. I can really get used to this." Lacey says.

"Well, I'd feel worthless if I didn't satisfy you. But you do know that you do the same thing to me, right?" Danny asks.

Lacey smiles at him. "Yes. I do know that. Unless you're a great actor and faking it." Lacey jokes.

"I couldn't fake this if I tried." Danny says. Danny just stares at her and puts his hand on her cheek. "You are so beautiful." Danny says.

Lacey puts her hand on top of his. "Thank you. I think you're beautiful too." Lacey says as she smiles at him.

Danny leaves his hand on her cheek. "Lacey, I need to tell you something." Danny says.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone. Sorry for the delay. I hope you all enjoy this latest update. Reviews are hugs! :)**

* * *

Lacey looked over at Danny with worry and dread written all over her face. It was hard to stare at him with those thoughts running through her mind when he looked so sincere. It was also hard to think of what he had to tell her after what they just experienced. After all they had been through in the past week that felt like a lifetime ago. She already truly loved this man more than she thought she would or could. He was her dream man, and now he had something to tell her.

Lacey took a deep breath. "Ok. What do you have to tell me?" Lacey asks as she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"I love you." Danny says as he stares deep into her eyes.

"I love you." Lacey says. "Is that all you needed to tell me?" Lacey asks.

"No. I know we've only known each for a little while, but I feel like I've known you my whole life and I can't picture my life without you in it. I know you weren't really sure about what you asked me, but I really do want to move in here with you. I want to give up my place. I'm not trying to scare you, but that's what I want." Danny says.

"Danny, you've really got to stop telling me you need to tell me something and then nearly give me a heart attack. I've been thinking about that too. I thought about it while I was running our bath water the other night. I didn't want to bring it up again and scare you away, so I just decided to let you make up your mind about what you wanted to do." Lacey says.

"So, I guess I'm moving in." Danny says.

"I guess you are." Lacey says as she smiles at him.

"Good. Because I have something else to tell you. Please promise to hear me out and don't get mad at me. Do you promise?" Danny asks.

"Ok. I promise to hear you out. I can't promise that I won't get mad though." Lacey says honestly.

"Fair enough. I sort of did something that I might not should have but I wanted it to be a surprise." Danny says nervously.

Lacey picks up on his nervousness. He's usually more confident and sure of himself. That isn't the case now. "I'm listening." Lacey says.

"I sort of looked through your papers and paid off your house." Danny says as he waits for her reaction.

Lacey's eyes grow huge. He looks so scared. She can't believe he did that. "I can't believe you did that." Lacey says quietly.

"Are you upset that I went through your things? I didn't do that to invade your privacy, I swear. Please don't be mad at me." Danny says.

"I'm not mad or upset. I don't have anything to hide. I can't believe you did that though. You didn't have to do that." Lacey says.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. I'm just glad you aren't upset." Danny says. Suddenly, Lacey starts to cry. Danny is horrified now. He feels bad. "I'm sorry Lacey. I was just trying to do something nice for you." Danny says as he continues to rub her face.

"These are happy tears, Danny. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't believe you did that. That's a lot of money." Lacey says.

Danny pulls her closer until she's in his arms. "I'm glad I could make you happy, though I don't want to see you cry. And don't worry about it. I can afford it. It was money well spent." Danny says.

"I don't care about your money, Danny." Lacey says honestly.

"I know that, Lacey. I don't care about my money either. But you never have to worry about it now that you're with me. I know you don't need me to take care of you, but I want to. Obviously, I know that teachers don't make anything. And I know you didn't become a teacher for the money. I see the way your face lights up when you're with the kids. I love that about you. We have that in common. I don't have to work, but I do have to. I know you get it." Danny says.

"Yeah, I get it. That's what I love about you. So, you really want to give up your place?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. I don't need it. But you know you're gonna have to give up some of your closet space, right?" Danny jokes.

Lacey looks at him. "I don't think I can do that. I gave you a drawer. That should be enough for you." Lacey counters with her own joke.

"Then I guess I'll have to keep my clothes in the trunk of my car." Danny says as Lacey suddenly jumps up and walks into the bathroom and comes out in her robe. "What's with you?" Danny asks.

"I have a surprise for you. Get up. And cover my goods. We're taking a walk." Lacey says.

"Your goods?" Danny asks as he gets up to put his shorts on.

"Yes. My goods. All of me belongs to you." Lacey says.

"I wasn't disagreeing with you. I belong to you too." Danny says.

"Ready?" Lacey asks as she walks over to their bedroom door.

"Yes. Where are we going?" Danny asks as he follows Lacey out of the room, into the hallway, and down the stairs.

"It's a surprise." Lacey says as she continues to walk towards the basement door.

"If it's anything like the surprise you gave me earlier, I don't think I can handle it just yet." Danny says.

Lacey stops walking and turns to face him. "This is a different kind of surprise. I hope you like it." Lacey says as she opens the basement door, turns on the light and walks down the stairs with Danny following. Once they're standing in her huge finished basement that looks like a condo, Lacey looks at Danny and smiles. "Surprise!" Lacey says.

Danny looks around. There isn't anything down there, but he pictures it with all of his man stuff. He might not fully get it though. "What's the surprise?" Danny asks.

"Your man cave, silly." Lacey says.

"You want me to have this?" Danny asks in surprise.

"Yes. This is all yours. I'm sure you can get a pool table and much more down here." She walks to show him the whole thing. "There's a bar and a full bathroom. You can play your heart out down here. If you want it." Lacey says.

"You would really give this to me? All of this space?" Danny asks. He's happy that she wants to give him a part of her home.

"Yes. I want you to have it. I don't need it. Every man needs a man cave. And now you have yours since you're giving up your place. Of course it doesn't have a balcony for us to fool around on, but you can be down here with your friends and not have to worry about me spoiling your fun." Lacey says as she smiles at him.

"I can't believe you would really give me a part of your house like this. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Danny says as he grins like a kid. He can already see the pool table and the huge tv he'll put down there.

"Danny, this now your house too. Our house. We're building a life together." Lacey says as she hugs him.

"And I can have a pool table? My mother got rid of mine." Danny says as Lacey laughs.

"Of course. You can have a stage with a stripper pole if you want." Lacey says jokingly but the look on Danny's face is one of seriousness.

"Are you serious?" Danny asks.

"I was joking, but I guess. You're crazy if you think I'm letting some strippers down here around my goods, though" Lacey says.

"I wasn't thinking that at all. Actually, you did a better job than any stripper could do. I'd put that pole down here for you." Danny says.

"I know you're selling me a load of crap, but I'll take it. And I'd only dance for you." Lacey says.

"I wouldn't allow you to dance for any other man but me. You heard me begging to be untied." Danny says as he kisses her on the lips.

"Yes, I did. It was cute." Lacey jokes.

"How about I tie you to the bed and see how you handle it." Danny suggests.

"I'll bet I won't beg you to untie me." Lacey says as she backs up to head for the stairs.

"Is that a challenge, Lacey?" Danny asks as he walks towards Lacey as she's backing up.

"Yes." Lacey says as she stops and runs up the stairs with Danny following closely behind. He catches her easily and carries her back to their bedroom. She has awoken the beast.

* * *

Two days later, Danny and Lacey awoke to another beautiful morning. All of Lacey's mornings have been beautiful since meeting Danny. They did their usual routine of showering together, and while Lacey was in her closet, her phone went off with an alarm. She checked it and realized she forgot all about her appointment.

"I completely forgot." Lacey says to herself.

"You completely forgot what?" Danny asks.

"My doctor's appointment. I'm working a half day today, but I'll still be at practice." Lacey says.

"Nothing serious, I hope." Danny says.

"No. Just a checkup. I do have to get my birth control shot though. And that's serious, now that you came along." Lacy says.

"I guess so. It's too soon for us to have a kid." Danny says.

"Yes, it is. Because if I don't get this shot, we'll have twenty kids before we know it." Lacey says.

"I won't apologize for not being able to resist you. But I do a pretty good job. I don't jump on you nearly as much as I want to." Danny admits.

"I've gotta admit. I feel the same way. Sometimes I feel like a horny teenager when I look at you. I completely embarrassed myself in front of the girls the other day at the salon when I was thinking about you. It caused me to want to give you that surprise." Lacey says.

"It's harder for me though. Do you know how hard it is for me to force myself not to get aroused when we're around other people?" Danny asks.

"No, I don't know." Lacey laughs. "Are you saying you're only with me because I arouse you?" Lacey questions jokingly.

"Not at all. That's only part of it. I'm with you because you're the best thing that ever happened to me, I can see you as the mother of my children, and because I love you." Danny says.

Lacey smiles. "I wonder what they will look like. Who they will look like? If they'll be have my complexion or yours. Will they get your hair? Will they get my dimples? Will we have boys or girls?" Lacey ponders. "I'm sorry, I got a little lost there for a moment." Lacey says.

"It's fine. I wonder about that too. But like that woman told us, they will be beautiful." Danny says as he smiles at the woman he'll build a life with.

* * *

Lacey drove them that day since she needed to leave for an appointment. She's lucky she remembered to put in for a substitute so that they wouldn't have to find coverage for her class at the last minute. They headed inside the office to sign in as usual. Danny headed to his office as Lacey ran into Jo and Sarita on her way out of the office.

"Good morning, ladies." Lacey says cheerfully.

"Good morning." Jo says. She seems to be in a good mood.

"Good morning." Sarita says almost matching Jo's tone.

"I won't be joining you ladies for lunch today. I'm leaving early. Oh, and I almost forgot. Sarita, you are single, right?" Lacey asks.

"Thanks for reminding me." Sarita says with a frown.

"I wasn't reminding you. But Danny has a friend that he'd like to introduce you to." Lacey says as she pretends not to notice the look on Jo's face.

"What? Why? I don't want to be set up. What does he look like?" Sarita asks as Lacey laughs at her response.

"Well, it's just an introduction. And he's Danny's height. Muscular, athletic, curly dark hair. He's cute." Lacey says truthfully.

"Does Danny have a friend for me?" Jo asks casually.

"I'll check." Lacey says to Jo before she turns to focus on Sarita. "So, are you up for it?" Lacey asks.

"Sure, why not." Sarita says. "When and where is this introduction supposed to take place?" Sarita asks.

"I don't know. Maybe we can throw together a small party or something Saturday night. I'll go and talk to Danny and see what he says. I'll also ask about a friend for you, Jo." Lacey says as she smiles and walks away.

* * *

Lacey hurries to the gym and almost runs into Danny's office. Danny is happy and startled to see her. "What are you doing here?" Danny asks.

Lacey walks over to plant a kiss on his lips. "I just needed one of these since I won't see you until the end of the day. And Jo wants to know if you have a friend for her." Lacey says as she gives Danny an amused expression.

"What? No. I actually like and care about my friends. I wouldn't do that to any of them. Sorry. Thank god all of them are taken except for Louie." Danny says.

"Well, I don't think she's going to like that. She looked like she wanted to choke me when I mentioned it to Sarita. She wants to know how they'll get introduced." Lacey says.

"I don't want to do something like a double date. That might be too much pressure for both of them." Danny says.

"I agree. How about a small party at our house? Saturday night. That way if they don't hit it off, they'll have others to talk to. And you can show your friends your new play house." Lacey says.

"Very funny. But I think that could work. Who do you want to invite?" Danny asks.

"I guess Phoebe and Tyler, Regina, Sarita, our neighbors across from us. Whoever you want to invite. Jo." Lacey says as she eyes Danny carefully.

"Do we really have to invite her?" Danny asks, sounding like a kid not wanting to go to bed.

Lacey laughs. "Yes, because I already mentioned it to her." Lacey says.

"Fine. I'll tell my friends. Just make sure that I don't get drunk and pass out around her. She might take her chance and try to get close to me." Danny says.

"Then I will have to kill her." Lacey says as she kisses him again briefly. "I've gotta go. I'll see you later. I love you."

"I love you." Danny says as she leaves his office.

* * *

At the end of Lacey's three classes and her day, Lacey wrote what she wanted her students to read for her last two classes. She made her way to Phoebe's room to give them an update before she leaves for the day. They are all there which makes things a lot easier. They were all chatting before beginning their meals.

Phoebe looks up and smiles. "Hey, Lacey." Phoebe says and all the other gals speak to her.

"Hello, ladies." Lacey says.

"Where are you going? Where's your lunch?" Phoebe asks.

"I'm leaving. I have a doctor's appointment. But I wanted to stop by and invite you all to a little party Danny and I are having at our house Saturday night." Lacey says excitedly.

"Did you just say, 'our house', Lacey?" Sarita asks just to irritate Jo.

"Yes. Danny is moving in with me." Lacey says as she smiles. Jo frowns and her mouth forms a tight line. Oh boy.

"That's great!" Phoebe exclaims.

"The sex is that good you want him to move in, huh?" Regina asks slyly.

Lacey ignores Regina's question, but she winks at her. "So, all of you guys are invited, and you may bring a guest. One guest. Sarita, that guy I told you about might be coming. Jo, I'm sorry, but Danny said all of his friends are taken." Lacey says.

"It's ok. Maybe I'll ask Rico to come with me." Jo says as she smiles.

"Ok, good. Well, I'll give you guys more details later. Have a good day." Lacey says cheerfully as she leaves.

"So, you're being set up?" Regina asks Sarita.

"I guess. Lacey just said she wanted to introduce me to one of Danny's friends. She said he's cute. Why not?" Sarita says as she smiles.

"Well, he must be because Lacey has great taste in men." Regina says.

"She does. Though all of them insanely hot guys that have asked her out didn't do a thing for her. She just shoots them down." Sarita says.

"Who are you thinking of bringing, Regina? Not Principal Kink are you?" Phoebe asks.

"No. Of course not. Maybe I'll ask Cole." Regina says as she doesn't give it a second thought.

"So, you're really gonna bring Rico? That's great." Phoebe says.

"Yeah. Who knows? We might end up making a cute couple." Jo says as she finishes her lunch. She mentally makes plans to ask him to be her date for Danny and Lacey's party.

* * *

Lacey made her way to the doctor's, got her much needed birth control shot, and headed back to school to have practice. They only had one more before their game Friday. The boys on the soccer team were anxious to play their first game since Danny became their coach. They had a good practice, and Danny and Lacey headed out to a movie after practice because they really didn't want to head straight hom. They stopped and had a quick dinner after their movie and before they headed home. They showered together and were in the bed watching tv and winding down when they heard the doorbell ring. And ring and ring and ring.

"Who the hell is that?" Lacey asks.

"I don't know. I wonder who it is too." Danny says.

"It better not be Jo." Lacey says as she gets up to put something on.

"I'm coming with you." Danny says as he puts his pajama pants on. He decides to forego a shirt for the moment as he and Lacey make their way downstairs to answer the door.

Lacey opens the door and is shocked and happy to see her visitor. It's Clara.

"Why doesn't my key work, Cee-Cee?" Clara asks as she walks in the house annoyed with a suitcase. She finally notices Danny. "Damn. Am I interrupting?" Clara asks as Lacey shuts the door.

Lacey ignores her sister and gives her a huge hug. "Clarabella! What are you doing here?" Lacey asks excitedly.

"I have a long weekend free and I decided to come and surprise you. Surprise!" Clara says as she continues to hug her sister. She sees Danny standing there looking at them. "Is this the soccer coach? I'm interrupting. I'm so sorry Cee-Cee." Clara says.

"No, you're not interrupting. And yes, this is the soccer coach. Danny this is my sister, Clara. Clara this is my boyfriend, Danny." Lacey says.

"Now I see why I haven't heard from you." Clara says as she looks at Lacey and Danny. "Hi Danny, it's nice to meet you." Clara says as she extends her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you." Danny says as he smiles.

"I'm not that bad." Clara says.

"She only said good things, I promise." Danny says. "And we totally have our dislike of Jo in common."

"She's awful, isn't she? Thinks the world revolves around her. I don't even know why she and Cee-Cee are even friends." Clara says.

"She is awful. I don't see why they're friends either." Danny admits.

"Are you two just gonna talk like I'm not even here?" Lacey says.

Clara ignores Lacey. "And you were gonna let Jo have this? You are a damn fool, Cee-Cee." Clara says as she walks over to sit on the couch.

"Thanks Clarabella." Lacey says as she walks over to sit next to Clara.

"Well, you know I call it like I see it. Jo wouldn't even know what to do with that." Clara says. She isn't the slightest bit embarrassed.

Danny starts to laugh. He instantly likes Clara. "I agree." Danny says.

"See? I can see why she was so thirsty though. But he looks much better with you. And I'm not even saying that because you're my sister and I hate Princess Jo. It's the truth." Clara says.

"Lacey, I love your sister already." Danny says.

"Thanks, brother-in-law." Clara says as she looks around. "Where's my niece and why did you change the locks?" Clara asks.

"She's around here somewhere. Daisy?" Lacey calls and Daisy comes running down the stairs and goes straight to Clara. "And I changed the locks because we had an uninvited guest." Lacey says.

Clara picks up Daisy and starts to rub her. "Who? Let me guess, The Princess Of Green Grove." Clara says.

"Yup." Danny says.

"I hope you beat the hell out of her and pretended she was an intruder." Clara asks.

"No, Clara." Lacey says as she looks at her outspoken little sister.

"Invite her over so I can pretend she's an intruder." Clara says and Danny starts to laugh.

"Stop it Clara. You are too much." Lacey says.

"What? I just want to show her how much I've missed her. What did she do? Just invited herself in? She always does that. Did she catch y'all having sex?" Clara asks a thousand questions in a row without stopping.

"Something like that." Lacey says.

"You guys haven't had sex in my bed, have you?" Clara asks.

"Clarabella." Lacey says.

"I'm just asking because I probably would have." Clara says.

"Well, I'm heading on up to let you two talk." Danny says. "Clara, it's been a pleasure meeting you. Babe, I'll see you soon."

"Pleasure meeting you too." Clara says as she smiles.

"Ok, babe." Lacey says as Danny heads up the stairs.

"Oh my god, Cee-Cee! He is hot! I can't believe you didn't tell me how hot he is. And you were really going to let Jo have him? Why would you do something that stupid?" Clara says when she thinks Danny is out of earshot. He heard everything she said, and is now chuckling at Lacey's little sister.

"Because I was trying to be a good friend." Lacey says honestly. "And I did tell you he was hot."

"Yes, but I didn't expect him to look like that. You don't give a guy that looks like that to Jo. You give her a guy that looks like Will or Sam. You don't pass up David Beckham. He's as hot as David Beckham!" Clara exclaims.

"Ok, Clara. I hear you. I came to my senses. We're together now." Lacey says.

"Yeah, you're together alright. You're also in love." Clara says.

Lacey smiles. "Yes, I am. You can tell? Of course you can tell." Lacey says.

"Do you know who you're talking to? I know you better than you know yourself, Cee-Cee. He's in love too." Clara says.

"How do you know that?" Lacey asks.

"Because he looks at you the way Jo looks at herself." Clara jokes.

"Very funny. How long are you staying?" Lacey asks.

"Until Sunday. If that's ok." Clara says.

"Yes, it's ok. You're always welcome here. But what are you gonna do while I'm at school?"

"I don't know. Play with Daisy. Sleep. Hang out. Who knows." Clara says.

"Want to sit in my classroom? I can say you're thinking about teaching. And you can come to practice and see my girls in action." Lacey says.

"That sounds like fun. I'm game." Clara says.

"And we're having a little party here Saturday night." Lacey says.

"Great. I can get my drink on." Clara jokes then she looks funny for a moment. "Is Jo coming?" Clara asks.

"Yes." Lacey says.

Clara tosses her head back and winces. "Awww man. You'd better have some really good liquor at this party, Cee-Cee." Clara says.

* * *

The next morning, Lacey and Danny awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. They showered together and dressed hurriedly to have time to eat whatever Clara cooked for them. When they walked into the kitchen they saw that she had cooked pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

"Good morning, guys." Clara says as she smiles at both of them and takes in both of their appearances. Danny in black slacks, a black shirt and black and white tie. Lacey in black dress with a black and white belt and black and white pumps. Clara just laughs and shakes her head. "Do you two always dress alike?" Clara asks.

Danny and Lacey look at each other and smile. "Not always. It just seems to happen that way. And good morning." Lacey says.

"Good morning, Clara." Danny says.

"How long have you been up? And what's with this huge breakfast?" Lacey asks as she fixes her and Danny a plate and they both go to sit down at the table with Clara and start to eat.

"I got up at 5 because I was hungry. And this is because it's been too long since I've had this kind of breakfast. Eating campus food sucks." Clara says.

"Are you still coming to school with me?" Lacey asks.

"Yup. But if I get bored, I'm bouncing. I'll come back for practice. Oh, I need a black blazer." Clara says. She has on blue skinny jeans and a white tee, paired with a blue scarf and some ridiculously high pumps.

"I want it back in my closet when you're finished." Lacey says.

"Yes, Mom." Clara says as she runs up the steps and gets the blazer from Lacey's closet.

"Your sister is great. She's hilarious." Danny says. He's glad they like each other's families.

"Yes, she is. I love her to death. We rarely fight. I love having her as my sister." Lacey admits.

"I see why. I already think of her as mine. I really think you'll like Whitney. It was weird being an only child and then having a step sister. But we get along great." Danny says.

"I can't wait to meet her." Lacey says as she and Danny finish their breakfast quickly while Clara straightens up the kitchen and feeds Daisy. They all leave the house together and Clara rides with Lacey, because Danny needs his car for later. When Lacey and Clara arrive at school, Lacey goes in to Principal Stokes' office and tells him of her plan to have Clara sit in on her class. He checked both sisters out to the point it made their skin crawl. He approved of Clara sitting in on Lacey's classes. He really didn't have a choice considering he didn't want to get on Lacey's or Danny's bad side. Lacey and Clara headed to her classroom and Lacey got ready to start her day. When her students started to arrive, they wondered who Clara was. It was obvious they were related because of the striking resemblance. Jason Rogers walked in and did a double take and smiled. He walked up to Lacey's desk.

"Good morning, Ms. Porter." Jason says as he smiles and then turns to Clara. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Jason." Lacey says.

"Good morning." Clara says as she tries to contain her amusement. She can tell this boy is in love with her sister.

"Is this your sister, Ms. Porter?" Jason asks as he smiles.

"Jason, I'll make an announcement to tell everyone who my guest is, ok?" Lacey tells Jason.

"Ok." Jason says as he smiles.

The bell to start the day goes off and Lacey takes attendance. "Good morning class. Today, we have a special guest. This is my sister. The other Ms. Porter. You will give her the same respect you give me. I hope we all have a great day together." Lacey says. Jason Rogers raises his hand. "Yes, Jason?" Lacey asks.

"Are you two twins?" Jason asks.

"No, we're not twins Jason." Lacey says.

"You look just alike though." Jason says as he smiles again. It seems like he's flirting.

"Thank you, Jason." Lacey says as she and Clara try hard not to laugh. Jason is now in love with Lacey and Clara.

* * *

Lacey makes it through the first half of her day relatively easy. Clara really enjoyed watching her big sister teach and it made her even prouder of her. When it was time for lunch, Lacey took Clara to Regina's classroom to introduce her to the girls. They were all already there when Lacey and Clara arrived.

"Hello ladies. I'd like to introduce you all to my little sister, Clara." Lacey says. Phoebe and Sarita run to give her a hug. Regina gives Clara a hug too. Jo looks surprised to see Clara.

"Hi Clara." Jo says.

"Hi Jo." Clara says in the same tone. They know they don't like each other.

"Omg, you look just like Lacey!" Phoebe exclaims.

"Yeah, she does. Good looks run in the family." Regina says.

"So, what are you doing here, Clara?" Jo asks.

Clara has to force herself to not roll her eyes. "Just visiting my sister and my future brother-in-law." Clara says. She sees the frown form on Jo's face.

"Will you be at the party?" Sarita asks.

Clara decides to lie to make Jo think she won't be there. "No, I'm heading back to school. This is just a quick visit." Clara says.

"Oh, well we'll have to get to know each other better another time." Sarita says.

"Yes, we will. I feel like I already know all of you. I'll be back soon enough." Clara says.

"Well, we'll see you guys later. We have to run out for a minute. We had a huge breakfast this morning." Lacey says as all the women say goodbye to them. She and Clara leave and head outside to Lacey's car. "Why did you say you weren't coming to the party?" Lacey asks.

"So Jo can let her guard down. She thinks she can act up if I'm not there." Clara says.

"Why do you always think the worst?" Lacey asks.

"Because I know how Jo is. She's going to come to your party and do something. I just know it." Clara says.

* * *

Lacey finishes her day and heads to the gym to change with Clara by her side. She finally sees Danny after a long day and goes to give him a kiss. Clara just watches and doesn't say a word. Her sister is happy and in love and that makes her happy. They all head out to the field and Lacey introduces her Gatorettes to Clara and they instantly love her. They start to love her even more when she starts to dance with them. They finish practice and Lacey and Clara head to the mall to do some more sisterly bonding. They both buy new outfits for the party. When they get home, they decide to order pizza. They finish their night as Clara starts to gab away on her phone and Danny and Lacey head up to their bedroom. The next day, Clara decides to sleep in but she came up to the school to watch the soccer game. The Green Grove Gators beat the Charleston Cougars 3 to 1. They were all happy and excited that they won the game. Lacey was extremely proud of Danny, the soccer team and her girls. After the game, Lacey, Clara, and Danny went out to celebrate. The next morning, Lacey and Clara decide to go rock climbing with Danny. When they get there, they see Nick. The guy that hit on Lacey the first time she was there. She decides to take Clara over to him.

"Hi Nick. Do you remember me?" Lacey asks.

Nick's face lights up. "Yes, I remember you. Lacey, right?" Nick asks while looking at Clara. "And you are?"

"I'm her sister, Clara." Clara says as she smiles at the really cute Nick.

"Well, I'll let you two talk." Lacey says and neither one of them is paying her any attention. It seems like they are already smitten with each other. Lacey just walks over to Danny and Louie. "Hey Louie." Lacey says.

"Hey Lacey. Is that your sister?" Louie asks.

"Yes. Her name is Clara." Lacey says.

"I hope your friend is as cute as she is." Louie says.

Lacey laughs. "She is. She's little though. Long, dark curly hair. Beautiful smile. You'll see." Lacey says.

"Ok." Louie says as he and Danny start to set up for their rock climbing adventure.

Clara walks over with a huge grin on her face. "I invited Nick to the party. Is that ok?" Clara asks.

"Sure. It is ok, right Danny?" Lacey asks.

"Yes. I will be keeping an eye on him though, little sister." Danny says to Clara.

"Ok." Clara says as she smiles and introduces herself to Louie. "Hi, I'm Clara." She says as she extends her hand,

Louie smiles. "Hi. I'm Louie. Nice to meet you." Louie says.

Clara is looking at Louie the same way he's looking at her. Uh oh. "Are you coming to the party?" Clara asks.

"Wouldn't miss it." Louie says. He hopes Nick blows it and he doesn't like Lacey's friend.

* * *

They finish rock climbing and they all leave the gym. Clara and Lacey go to the grocery store to buy the food and other necessities for the party. Danny heads to buy the liquor,beer and wine for the party. Clara and Lacey buy enough food to feed one hundred people. From shrimps, fish, steak, burgers, hot dogs to crab cakes, and chicken wings. All kinds of chips and dips, desserts. They both head home to start setting up. Lacey makes her famous potato salad and shrimp salad. Clara makes her signature dip and fried cabbage. Danny buys enough beer and liquor to get one hundred people drunk. After they set up as much as possible, they decide to get ready. Danny puts on black pants and a gray, black, and white striped shirt that Lacey picked out. Lacey wore a belted white lace mini dress and Clara had on a burnt orange halter dress. They all looked stunning. When Danny saw Lacey in her dress, he couldn't help but comment.

"I kind of wish you hadn't worn this white dress. You ruined our wedding day for me." Danny says as he pulls her in for a kiss.

"Danny, I didn't ruin anything. When we get married, my dress will look much better than this." Lacey says with a smile.

They head downstairs and Lacey hooks her iPod up to her surround sound speaker system as they wait for guests to arrive. Tyler and Phoebe arrived first. Then their neighbors Shannon and Matt arrived next. Then Sarita arrived. Regina and Cole and Danny's friends Sara and Doug arrived at the same time. Nick arrived only minutes before Louie. Lacey's friends Jenna and Scott held the door open for Danny's other friends Keith and Joanne. It seemed as if everyone was there that they had invited. Well, not everyone. Jo arrived unfashionably late and her date wasn't Rico.

It was Archie.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello friends. I know most Dacey/Lacey fans have given up on Twisted, myself included. The show has went past the point of no return in my eyes. These stories are the only thing we have left. I decided to post today as a substitute for the show. They pretty much ruined Dacey, but that can't take away our feels. I think of the 1A Dacey as my inspiration. I have no idea whose idea it was to think that making Twisted The Jo Show was a good idea. As many of you know, I am NOT, nor will I EVER be a Jo fan. That's evident in my stories. This Danny IS NOT on the verge of going crazy by realizing he's in love with Jo. Jo will never win here. Sorry, Jo fans!**

**I'm so glad so many of you like Clara, because she's totally based off of my personality. She's very easy for me to write, because she's ME! So, if you don't like Clara, you don't like me. I hope you do like me and Clara though. :)**

**As always, thanks for reading. Reviews are hugs!**

* * *

Clara was on the deck out back chatting with Regina, Cole, Tyler, Louie, Nick, Sarita and Phoebe when Jo made her entrance, so neither knew the other was actually at the party. Sara, Doug, Jenna and Scott were sitting in the living room talking. Lacey was sitting on Danny's lap and they were having an animated conversation with Lacey's neighbors Shannon and Matt, and Danny's friends Keith and Joanne. They were all sitting at the table in the eating area off the kitchen.

"You seem really different, Danny." Joanne says.

"Yeah, you do." Keith counters.

"How so?" Danny asks.

"Well, you just seem happier, more content. Like I've always felt like you gave off positive energy vibes, but now it's a lot different, but I can't describe it." Joanne says.

"I think all of that is because of this woman right here. I've never been this happy in my life." Danny says as he puts his arm around Lacey and pulls her a little closer.

"And here I thought it was because of all that stuff you had delivered here earlier. All those shiny new toys for you to play with." Matt jokes.

"I know. I couldn't believe my eyes when they brought all of that stuff in here. I know you guys said you had a delivery you needed me to watch for, but I didn't expect them to deliver Best Buy." Shannon says as they all laugh.

"That's only a small part of it. She's the reason I feel like I'm flying." Danny says.

"I could say the same about you too, Lacey." Shannon says. "You practically skip to and from the house now." Shannon jokes as everyone laughs.

"I do not skip." Lacey says with a huge grin on her face.

It disappears and she stiffens up when Jo and Archie enter her dining area. Danny noticed it, but he just attributed it to the tension between her and Jo. It's more to it than that, but Danny has no idea. Archie seemed shocked to see Lacey, or maybe he was just shocked to see her sitting on a man's lap.

"Hello, everyone." Jo says as she smiles. She grabs Archie's hand and Archie looked over at her in surprise. There's a hint of mischief in her eyes that only Lacey picks up on.

"Hello." Archie says, though he looks painfully uncomfortable. "Hi, Lacey." Archie says as he smiles awkwardly and waves at Lacey.

Lacey is still stunned speechless at the arrival of Jo and Archie until Danny shifts his legs a little and places his hand on her back to perk Lacey up. "Aren't you going to introduce them?" Danny asks.

"Right, sorry." Lacey says as she stands. "Everyone, this is Jo and Archie. Jo and Archie, this is Shannon, Matt, Keith, and Joanne." Lacey says as she points to everyone. She grabs Danny by his arm and stands him up. "Archie, this is my boyfriend Danny." Lacey says. She and Danny both notice that Archie winced at hearing the word 'boyfriend.'

Danny extends his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Archie." Danny says.

"Likewise." Archie says as he releases his hand from Jo's to shake Danny's hand. The four just stand there sort of awkwardly looking at each other in silence. Danny senses the tension.

Lacey subtly looks at Jo, but she avoids having direct eye contact with Lacey.

"Oh my god!" Clara says as she walks in from the deck with Sarita through the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Jo and Archie. Everyone just looks at Clara wondering what has her so lively. Jo stiffened a little when she saw Clara.

"Hey Clara." Archie says and smiles at her awkwardly too. Danny looks from Archie to Clara and assumes that Archie must be linked to Clara somehow.

"Hey Archie. What are you doing here?" Clara asks as she's eyeing Lacey, who looks like she has just seen a ghost. Clara takes a few steps forward so she's now in close approximation to the group.

Lacey answers for him. "He's Jo's date, Clarabella." Lacey says.

Clara looks at Jo in disgust. "You bitch." Clara says only loud enough for the people close to her to hear. Sarita heard her though and bursts out laughing. Jo tosses her head back like she had just been slapped.

"Clara!" Lacey says. She is beyond pissed and feels the same way Clara does, but can't show it.

"I'm sorry, Cee-Cee." Clara says as she continues to glare at Jo.

Danny looks from Clara to Lacey to Jo then Archie. He has no idea what's going on. He already knows that Clara doesn't like Jo, but he wonders why she called her a bitch. He agrees that she is, but decides to let it go. "Well, there's plenty of food and drinks, so help yourselves." Danny says as he turns to leave, but Lacey grabs his arm.

"Since all the guys are here, why don't you show them all your gift." Lacey says as she smiles. She wants Danny gone before she or Clara say or do too much.

"What gift?" Clara asks further trying to help her big sister out.

"Well, I gave Danny a man cave since he's giving up his place to move in here." Lacey says happily. She doesn't mind saying that in front of Archie at all. It could have been him, but the past is in the past.

"Awww, that is so nice of you Lacey." Sarita says. She's still amused by Clara calling Jo a bitch and can't wait to find out why.

"Yes, it was." Danny says as he grabs Lacey and pulls her in for a kiss. Jo and Archie both hate seeing them kiss, but for different reasons. Jo tried to hide her discomfort, but Clara sees it. She also sees Archie shift his body nervously and run his hand through his hair. They get a little lost in the kiss until Clara interrupts them.

"Excuse me. We don't want to see you two go at it. Save it for later and please be quieter this time, so I can get some sleep." Clara says as she gives Jo a scowl. Jo smoothed out her hair and turned away.

Danny and Lacey finally break apart from the kiss. "Thanks Clara." Lacey says sarcastically.

"Come on Archie, we're off to the man cave so the women can talk about us." Danny says as he winks at Lacey and heads towards the deck to get the guys that are outside. Archie reluctantly follows him. Keith, Matt, Doug and Scott get up and follow Danny too. "You guys can head on down." Danny says to the guys as he opens the kitchen door. He comes back in with Cole, Tyler, Louie and Nick and they all head downstairs.

Lacey prayed they just talked about man stuff and Archie didn't say anything before she has a chance to.

* * *

As soon as the men were downstairs and out of earshot, Clara grabbed Jo by the arm and ushered her to the kitchen and practically shoved her out the kitchen door.

"We'll be right back ladies. We're planning a surprise. Help yourselves to whatever you'd like to eat or drink." Lacey says as she follows Clara and Jo. Sarita was right on her heels because she wasn't missing this for the world.

Phoebe and Regina were shocked to see Clara shove Jo out the door. Phoebe almost choked on her drink. "What's going on?!" Phoebe asks.

Clara got insanely close to Jo and was right in her face. "What in the hell are you doing here with him?" Clara asks. The harshness of her voice caused Regina and Phoebe to open their eyes wide.

"What? I just brought him as a friend." Jo says innocently.

"No you didn't. You did that mess to hurt my sister. If my sister hurts, I hurt. And then I'll have to hurt you." Clara says.

"Ok. Time out. I need to know what's going on. What are you talking about Clara?" Sarita asks.

"Guess who Jo's date is?" Clara says as she continues to give Jo the death stare.

"Your ex or something? It's obvious he knows who you are." Sarita says.

"Good guess, but you're wrong. Sarita. He isn't my ex boyfriend." Clara says.

"No, he isn't Clara's ex boyfriend. He's mine." Lacey says as she finally speaks. Phoebe, Regina, and Sarita all look over at Jo. If looks could kill, she'd be dead.

"You are a bitch. An even bigger bitch than I am." Sarita says.

Phoebe and Regina look at each other and need to be in on what's going on. "What is going on guys?" Regina asks as she and Phoebe walk closer to the other four women.

"It seems Jo here decided to come to my party with my ex boyfriend." Lacey says as she just looks at Jo and wonders what the hell has her constantly trying to hurt her.

"You did what?" Regina asks.

"She brought Lacey's ex here to either cause a rift between her and Danny, or to just hurt Lacey. Either way, it was a pretty sneaky and ruthless thing to do." Clara says.

"I'm not trying to cause a rift between Danny and Lacey. I see how in love they are. Archie and I are friends, and I just thought it would be nice to bring him. You are over him, right? You shouldn't be the least bit jealous." Jo says lightly.

"Believe me, I am not jealous." Lacey says truthfully.

"It's not about her being jealous. You did what you did on purpose. And I have a problem with that." Clara says.

"Why are you even worried about it? It's not any of your concern." Jo says smartly.

"My sister is my concern. What did you do to get him to come?" Clara asks.

"I didn't do anything. I just asked a friend to come to another friend's party." Jo lies.

"What happened to you bringing Rico?" Phoebe asks.

"He couldn't make it." Jo lies. She never even asked him.

"Something stinks here. Did you tell him it was my party?" Lacey asks.

"Yes." Jo says.

"Did you sleep with him?" Clara asks.

Jo frowns. "That's none of your business." Jo says defiantly.

Clara steps closer to her. "I just made it my business." Clara says.

"You really thought it would be ok to bring Lacey's ex to her party? Even I wouldn't do that." Regina says.

"That's because this bitch is classless and doesn't have morals. You don't date your friends ex. Period. That just shows just how nasty you are." Clara says.

"I can do whatever I want. He doesn't belong to her. She's with Danny now. And if I want to sleep with him when they break up, I will." Jo says smartly and she really shouldn't have said that because before she had a chance to fix her face to match her tone, Clara slapped the hell out of her. Jo stumbled back and grabbed her face in disbelief. "You hit me!" Jo screams.

Nobody even bothered to grab Clara, though they were all shocked she slapped her. "You deserved it. I've wanted to hit you for years. And I'll do much more if you ever try this crap again. Don't even think of trying to run away like you're the victim. You wanted to come to this party and start stuff at my sister's house, and you got what you asked for." Clara says as she looks at Jo continue to hold the side of her face. "Now, who's ready to really party?" Clara asks as she walks back into the house. Lacey just shook her head at Jo and followed her sister. Phoebe and Regina said nothing and followed Lacey and Clara.

Sarita waited behind to say something to Jo. "How's your face?" Sarita asks as she laughs.

"Just leave me alone, Sarita." Jo says.

"You'd better be lucky Clara didn't do more. You're pathetic and a sorry excuse for a woman and a friend. Trying to be Lacey will never work. She is on a totally different level. I hope trying to be something you're not was worth it." Sarita says as she scoffs and shakes her head. She walks away leaving Jo to continue to rub the side of her now red face.

* * *

Danny immediately went and purchased all of the things than were now in his man cave when Lacey gave it to him. He had a 90 inch flat screen on the wall and theater seats equipped with memory foam and cool gel technology to make whoever sat in it completely comfortable. The chairs had lighted cup holders, and a food tray, with USB ports to plug in anything that needed charging. The only thing the chair didn't have was a toilet. He got his pool table, something he was longing for since Karen made him get rid of his. He hadn't put dvd's or video games down there just yet, but that was something he would put down there soon enough. He also fully stocked the bar with some of the liquor he bought for the party. He even had 2 fridges down there fully stocked. He had a satellite stereo system with surround sound. He had original arcade games down there also. He hadn't put anything in the bedroom area yet, because that was coming from his place since he hadn't officially moved out and into Lacey's house just yet. He had a few more things he wanted and needed to put down there, but it was already a man's paradise.

All of the men were impressed with Danny's man cave. It even sparked feelings of jealousy in some of the men because they would all love to have a place like that that they could call and make their own.

"Jeez, Danny. This place is awesome." Matt says as he looks around.

"Yes, it is. I'm thinking of moving in too." Louie says.

"Danny, you have the perfect woman. I'm jealous. I'm moving in too." Keith jokes.

"I still can't believe she gave you all of this." Louie says as he makes his way over to the pool table.

"Lacey gave this to you?" Cole asks as he heads towards the arcade games. He and Danny have become fast friends considering they're one of the few young teachers at their school.

"Yup." Danny says proudly.

"Wow. I knew she was special when I first saw her." Nick says to Danny.

"Watch it Nick." Danny says seriously.

"No harm, no foul man. You're just a lucky guy." Nick says as he walks off to join Cole at the arcade games. Archie strolls that way too.

"I'd just like to know how they can afford all of this on a teacher's salary. I know what teachers make, and none of this stuff is cheap." Cole says.

That causes Archie to take notice. "He's a teacher?" Archie asks.

"Yeah. Me, him and Lacey are. And a few of the women upstairs are too. That's where they met." Cole says as he sips his beer.

"What kind of teachers are you?" Archie asks.

"I teach Algebra, and Danny is the physical education teacher and soccer coach. Lacey teaches English and she coaches the cheerleaders. Those two are like Ken and Barlbie." Cole says as he and Nick laugh.

"Well, I don't know how true this is, but I heard Danny's rich." Nick says.

"Where did you hear that?" Cole asks.

"At the gym we go to. I heard some of the women talking about it. Chicks love him. But he doesn't pay any of them any mind because he doesn't know if they want him or his money. When he brought Lacey rock climbing, I knew he must've caught the bug." Nick says.

"Well, that explains it." Cole says and that causes a feeling of dread to wash over Archie. Him realizing that Danny is a teacher and a soccer coach, means that he loves kids and is the perfect guy for Lacey. And to top it off, he's loaded and he knows things like that don't matter to a woman like Lacey. It caused Archie to walk away and he walked right past Danny and Keith talking.

"Danny, just a few words of advice from one friend to another, you'd better hurry up and marry her soon. You don't want someone else to swoop in and take a woman this great away from you." Keith says. "I can barely watch tv alone in my living room, and she gave you all of this. You lucky bastard." Keith jokes.

"Yes, he is. Lacey's great. I agree. You'd better hurry and marry her before someone snatches her away. You don't find a woman like her twice." Archie says as he has a look of nostalgia and regret on his face that Danny notices and has to ask him about.

"I hear you guys. I plan on making her my wife soon enough." Danny says happily. Danny looks at Archie for a moment. "You seem a little lost in thought Archie. Are you ok?" Danny asks.

"I guess. I just realized what a fool I am. Regrets can kill a person." Archie says solemnly.

Danny suddenly has a bad feeling. "How exactly do you know Lacey and Clara?" Danny asks.

Archie thinks for a moment. "I think Lacey should be the one to tell you that." Archie says.

Suddenly, everything seems clearer to Danny. Archie isn't linked to Clara. He's linked to Lacey.

* * *

After all of the ladies retreat back into the house with the other women, they decide to have girl talk. Lacey grabs a large bowl and the post its and pens she bought for the party. She leads everyone into the living room so that they can be comfortable.

"Ok gals. We're going to have a girls bonding session. Everybody write down questions and we'll put them in the bowl and pass it around. If you feel like a question is too personal, you don't have to answer it. Just remember you're among friends. What's said here, stays here." Lacey says cheerfully. She decides to put Jo and Archie out of her mind because neither one of them matter. She loves Danny and wants to be with him forever. Jo can marry Archie and not have his children all she likes.

"That sounds like fun." Shannon says as she smiles and sits on the sofa next to Regina.

"Yeah, it does." Phoebe says as she sits next to Joanne. Jenna sits right next to her. Sarita and Clara sit next to each other. The two have easily become friends. Lacey starts to hand out the post its and pens when Jo enters the house. She slowly walks into the living room.

"Oh my. What happened to your face?" Jenna asks in concern.

"Oh, she just had a little fall. She had a little too much to drink. I saved you a seat right next to me, Jo. I want to make sure you don't have any more accidents." Clara says as she pats the seat next to her. Sarita desperately tries not to laugh.

"I was just going to leave." Jo says quietly.

"No, no. You're not able to drive. I would feel terrible if something were to happen to you. Plus, you don't want to ruin the party for your date." Clara says as she smiles. Jo looks like she's ready to cry as she reluctantly walks over to sit next to Clara.

"What kind of questions are we supposed to write?" Phoebe asks.

"Phoebe, nobody wants to know your favorite color." Sarita says and everyone laughs. The women all get to writing their questions and Lacey passes the bowl around and everyone puts theirs in.

"Who goes first?" Joanne asks.

"Lacey, since it's her party." Regina says.

They pass the bowl to Lacey and she smiles and reaches in and opens the note and reads it out loud. "Have you ever had a threesome? No, I have not. Who has?" Lacey asks as she looks around the room.

Everybody says no, except for Regina and Sarah. "I had one back in college." Sarah says.

"I had many in college and some since then. They're fun." Regina says.

"Moving right along." Phoebe says as Lacey passes the bowl to Jenna.

Jenna retrieves a note. Hers says. "Have you ever had a guy that was too small?" Jenna says with a straight face and all the women cackle with laughter. Except for Jo.

"Can we all just agree that that's something that happens to everyone and it's horrible?" Regina asks.

"It sucks though. And it's even worse when the guy acts like he doesn't know that he's too small." Sarita says.

"Yes. But some of them are usually better at other things." Clara says.

"Like what?" Phoebe asks.

"Come on now Phoebe. You're married, not dead." Sarita says.

Jenna passes the bowl to Joanne. "Have you ever had sex at work?" Joanne asks and Phoebe unintentionally looks right at Regina.

"What? Why are you looking at me Phoebe? I can't be the only one that has had sex at work. Raise your hand if you have." Regina says as she, Sarita, Shannon and Joanne all raise their hands. "Why isn't your hand raised, Lacey?" Regina asks with a grin on her face. "I know you and Danny had sex the other day."

Lacey starts grinning. "We did not have sex, Regina. Believe me, we have enough here. I'm too tired to have sex at work." Lacey says as the women all laugh. Again, except for Jo.

This causes Clara to say something. "Awww, Poor Jo isn't having any fun. Jo, it's ok. You can relax. No one is going to hurt you. Here, you choose the next question, so you can join in on the fun." Clara says and Joanne hands the bowl to Jo.

Jo reaches in and pulls out a note. "Have you ever slept with a friend's ex?" Jo asks and Phoebe gasps. "No, I haven't." Jo says.

"Are you sure about that, Jo?" Sarita asks smartly.

"Yes, I'm sure, Sarita." Jo says through clenched teeth.

Most of the women say they haven't. They might be lying, but who knows. Phoebe admits that she and Regina slept with the same guy, but he wasn't in a relationship with either of them.

"I did. A long time ago, back in high school and it ruined our friendship. I wish I could take it back." Sarah says.

"It's nice that you can admit that and feel remorse. Besides, you were younger then. But sleeping with your friend's ex is never ok. Any woman who thinks it is, doesn't deserve to have friends. Great question, Jo." Clara says as she pats Jo on her arm.

Great question indeed.

* * *

The women continued playing their game that became pretty fun. Jo had no choice but to lighten up, because no one was there to pity or coddle her. The men came back upstairs because they were ready to eat, and that's the only reason they retreated from Man Heaven, as some of them called it. They all came upstairs and made the women instantly stop laughing once they were back in the living room.

"Look ladies, they're alive." Lacey jokes as she winks at Danny who grins and returns the wink subtly. The men all migrate towards the kitchen and some of the women decide to join them. Lacey walks up and puts her arms around Danny to hug him and she rests the side of her face on his back. "Did you guys have fun?" Lacey asks.

"Yes." Danny says as he turns around to face her. He pulls her into the guest bathroom. Lacey figures he just wants some quick alone time. Danny pecks her on the lips. "Are you going to tell me who Archie is?" Danny asks.

Lacey just pokes out her lips. She knew this moment was coming. She exhales before answering. "He's my ex boyfriend." Lacey says.

"I think he's still hung up on you." Danny says with certainty.

"What did he say?" Lacey asks.

"Enough." Danny says.

"Well, that's his problem. Not yours and not mine. He's Jo's problem now." Lacey says as she frowns.

"What's up with that?" Danny asks.

"She says she just asked him here as a friend. Pretty raunchy, but I can't do anything about her wanting to date my ex." Lacey says.

"Are you ok with her dating your ex?" Danny asks.

"I guess so." Lacey says.

"What do you mean, you guess so? You either are or you aren't." Danny says.

Lacey frowns and looks at Danny funny. "I'm not thrilled about seeing them together, no I'm not. But I'm not mad or jealous either." Lacey admits honestly.

"I really hope that's true, Lacey." Danny as he turns to leave the bathroom.

"What, you don't believe me?" Lacey asks.

"I'm just trying to figure out why you had that reaction when they came in together." Danny says.

"Because I was shocked to see them together. The same way Clara was shocked. I know you saw that." Lacey says.

"Yes, I did. I just get the feeling that it's more to it than that." Danny says as he exits the bathroom and leaves Lacey in there by herself. She suddenly wants all of these people out of her house so that she and Danny can really talk. Lacey takes a deep breath before leaving the bathroom. Clara is waiting outside of it and she just smirks at Lacey.

"Quickie, huh?" Clara asks.

"Nope." Lacey says as she pokes her lips out again. Clara knows something is wrong when she does that.

"Uh oh. What's wrong?" Clara asks after she pulls Lacey into the bathroom with her.

"Danny thinks that I might still have feelings for Archie." Lacey says.

"What? That's crazy. All because Jo came here with him. Let me go and find Jo to thank her for coming to the party one more time." Clara says as she leaves the bathroom. Normally, Lacey would stop her. But right now, she wants to slap Jo for possibly ruining what she has with Danny.

* * *

The rest of the party goes off without a hitch, and they all get ready to leave. Lacey greatly encouraged people to take food home with them and they all appreciated that. Somehow, Sarita and Nick hit it off, and that greatly relieved Louie and Clara who exchanged numbers and planned to go out sometime. The adults all leave the house thanking Lacey and Danny for a wonderful night and plans to do it again in the future.

Archie had a lot on his mind as he and Jo left Lacey's house. He needed to say a lot of things to her. "What happened to your face?" Archie asks after they're inside his car.

"Nothing." Jo says as she shifts her body uncomfortably.

"Nothing? Did Lacey hit you? Or was it Clara? It probably was Clara because she hates you." Archie says.

"Just leave it alone Archie." Jo says.

"What type of games are you trying to play? You used me. And I fell for it. I should have checked to see if you were really telling me the truth. Lacey had no idea you were bringing me to this party, did she?" Archie asks.

"What does it matter? It's over. She and Danny are practically married now anyway." Jo says.

"So you used me to make them jealous? What, do you have a thing for Danny or something?" Archie asks.

"She stole him from me. He was supposed to be mine. I saw him first." Jo says, sounding incredibly childish and bitter.

"Do you even hear yourself? News flash, Danny doesn't want you Jo. He will never look at you the way he looks at Lacey. I will never look at you the way I look at Lacey. And you brought me here just to hurt her. I should have known something was up when you just called me out of the blue and invited me to a party. If I had known it was Lacey's party at her house she shares with another man, I never would have come." Archie says.

"Do you think I want you? News flash, I will never look at you the way I look at Danny." Jo says. "I just wonder what's so special about her that everybody wants her." Jo says as she practically pouts.

"You're pathetic. Even back when we were in high school. You hated that Lacey was the most popular and the prettiest girl in school. And I can see that some things never change." Archie says. "I repeat, unless Danny goes to the dark side and totally loses his mind, I don't ever see him looking at you and him thinking that you're the one. I think that will only happen in your dreams."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jo asks.

"It means, you can never be or beat Lacey. Face it. She's incredible. Letting her go was the dumbest thing I've ever done." Archie admits.

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Jo asks.

"Lacey and i, we're over. We've been over for a long time." Archie says.

"That's not what I asked. Do you still have feelings for her?" Jo demands.

Archie chooses not to answer her question. "When I drop you off, never call me again." Archie says.

* * *

Lacey and Clara started cleaning the upstairs while Danny handled the man cave and outside. Clara can feel the tension in the air and she hates it. All because Jo is a miserable and sorry excuse for a friend. It made Clara hate Jo even more for doing that to her sister and Danny. They were nauseatingly happy just hours ago. Now, they're upset with each other. Once they're finished cleaning, Clara hurries to her room to let Lacey and Danny have their alone time. They had things they needed to discuss, and she didn't want to be in the way. Lacey could sense that Danny was upset, and she needed to find out exactly what Archie told him. It was late, and they went up to their bedroom in silence. Danny sat on his side of the bed and Lacey goes and sits next to him.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Lacey asks as she grabs his hand.

"Why did you get rid of us earlier?" Danny asks.

"Because we needed to talk to Jo, and not have you guys around." Lacey says honestly.

"Did you hit her?" Danny asks.

"No, Clara did." Lacey answers.

"If you don't have feelings for Archie, what's the big deal with her dating him?" Danny asks.

"Because she said she can date my exes and that she can sleep with you when we break up if she wants to." Lacey says.

"She's nuts. I have a better chance of sleeping with Cole, than sleeping with Jo." Danny doesn't even mean that as a joke. He seriously will never look at Jo romantically. "How long ago did you two break up?" Danny asks.

"Three years ago." Lacey retorts.

"Why did you break up? It's obvious he still has feelings for you." Danny says.

Lacey looks away for a moment. "I was really stressed out about school and graduating, and I thought I was pregnant. He made me feel really bad about not being careful and ruining our futures. When I found out I wasn't. I saw how relieved he was. And I discovered the reason he was so upset and relieved was that he never wanted to have children, so I ended it." Lacey says.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Danny asks as he looks over at her.

"No. it took me a long time to get over him, but I did. I don't have any romantic feelings for him at all." Lacey answers truthfully.

"Why do I feel like that isn't the truth?" Danny asks.

"I don't know why, because it is." Lacey answers.

"Are you only with me because I want kids and he didn't?" Danny asks.

"No. I'm with you because I love you. I'm glad that we want the same things." Lacey answers.

"Do you think you would still be with him if he wanted kids? Would you be with me if I didn't?" Danny questions.

Lacey lets out a deep breath. "I don't know how to answer that." Lacey admits honestly.

Danny looks at her with hurt and confusion in his eyes. "Let me know when you can." Danny says as he stands to leave and walks over to the bedroom door.

"Danny! Where are you going?" Lacey asks as she gets up to follow him. He just turns and looks at her and opens the door without a word. Lacey walked out of her bedroom and watched in agony as he walked down the stairs and out the door.

It took her a few moments to realize that he had just walked out the door. Her heart sank when she thought of what that might mean. Lacey retreats to her room and shuts the door behind her.

Thanks to Jo, Lacey was now miserable again.

* * *

Danny got into his car with no destination in sight. He wasn't going to do something totally punkish like run to his mother. He was too old and too much of a man for that. He was feeling too many different things at once. He seriously questioned whether Lacey still had feelings for Archie. He didn't like the way she reacted to seeing him with Jo. He didn't understand that. And then the fact that she couldn't answer his question. Would she be married to Archie if he wanted kids? He figured she would be. But that really isn't the problem. Was she with him because he gave her what another man couldn't? He loved Lacey more than anything in the world. And he really believed that she loved him too. But is he her second choice? He started thinking that maybe he and Lacey had moved too fast. Danny thought, and thought, and thought about that as he drove around. And the answer suddenly hit him. It hit him hard and caused him to slam on his brakes. That drive in complete silence gave him all the answers he needed. He started his car up again and headed where he knew he wasn't second best. Where he was loved and appreciated. He knew that she would accept him with open arms. Her face would light up when she saw him. He couldn't believe he was actually that naive about her love for him. It took Lacey's ex and her silly best friend to make him realize what was staring right at him the whole time. He knew it was late, and she should be in the bed. He figured he'd just crawl in bed with her and surprise her.

He was glad he still had his key.

* * *

**A/N: I know what y'all are thinking, I know. There's method to my madness, I promise. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the delay fam. I hope you enjoy this latest update. **

**Warning: The last section contains mature content. If that's not your thing, you know what to do. It starts with *****5 stars. **

**The section written in italics is a flashback. **

**Reviews are hugs! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Danny crept into her place and tried not to make a sound. He really wanted to surprise her. Crawl into bed with her and snuggle his body close to hers. He walked quietly through her place and slowly opened her bedroom door. He saw the shape of her body laid out on the bed as the moon shone through the window. He just stood and watched her sleep rather peacefully. He didn't want to turn the light on and wake her up. He wanted to do that. He took off his shoes and slipped in the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. She turned and looked surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I couldn't stay away. I ended things with Lacey." Danny says.

She turns around to look at him. "You did?" She asks.

"Yes. It should have been you all along. It has been you all along. It's always been you, Jo." Danny says.

"Do you really mean that?" Jo asks.

"Yes. It took you bringing Archie to the party for me to realize that I'm Lacey's second choice. She still has feelings for him. She tried to lie and say she didn't but I know. And I know that you're the one. You're the one Jo." Danny says as he cradles the side of her face and leans in to kiss her.

* * *

Clara heard the front door close and Lacey yelling Danny's name. That only meant one thing. And she hated that. Clara left her bedroom and went to Lacey's and knocked on the door. She heard Lacey sobbing, and that hurt her and made her angry. Clara knocked a little harder. "Cee-Cee. Open the door, please." Clara says.

"It's open." Lacey says.

Clara slowly opens Lacey's bedroom door and walks in and sees Lacey sitting on the side of the bed staring at the floor. "What's wrong?" Clara asks.

"Danny left." Lacey says.

Clara walks into the room and sits down next to her best friend and older sister. "He left? Why?" Clara asks.

"He didn't like the reaction I had to Archie being here with Jo." Lacey asks.

"What? I had the same reaction. Worse, actually. Although I didn't see your initial reaction, when I came in the house, you just seemed shocked to see him. What else?" Clara asks.

"He thinks I still have feelings for Archie." Lacey says.

"Well, that's stupid. You got over him a long time ago. I haven't heard you even mention Archie in a long time. And I know you better than anybody. I see that you don't look at Archie the way you used to. And you never looked at him the way you look at Danny." Clara counters honestly.

"I know. I don't have any feelings for Archie anymore." Lacey confesses. "I care about him as a friend, but that's all."

"You don't have to convince me, because I know. We have to convince Danny. What else did he say?" Clara asks.

"He asked me if I would still be with Archie if he wanted kids, and if I would be with him if he didn't. He thinks I'm only with him because he wants kids and Archie didn't." Lacey says.

Clara exhales loudly before speaking. "Well, you might have still been with Archie if he wanted kids, though for some reason I don't think so. I didn't see you guys lasting forever." Clara admits truthfully.

Lacey looks over at her in shock. "You never told me that before. I thought you did." Lacey says.

"No, I didn't. I didn't see you marrying him. I didn't see you having his children. I didn't see that, I just didn't say anything." Clara says.

"When we were younger, I really thought I would marry him. After that pregnancy scare I had, I knew we wouldn't work." Lacey admits.

"I know. But I didn't see that even before that. And I was a teenager then. I knew Archie loved you, and you loved him, but I think you loved him because you thought that was what you were supposed to do. Of course you love your first, and hope you marry him. And I think you got caught up with that. Your loyalty is an amazing and crippling thing, Lacey." Clara say.

"Clara, I think you might be right." Lacey says.

"I am right. I've known you for 21 years Lacey. And don't forget I am majoring in Psych. I know what I'm talking about. I see how much you love Danny, though you don't want to fully embrace that. You think you falling in love with and loving him this soon is a bad thing. You believe in those silly fairy tales where you meet a guy when you're young, you fall in love and stay in love forever. That's not realistic, Cee-Cee." Clara says.

"I do really love him, Clara. I do. I love him enough that even if he didn't want kids, I would give that up to be with him." Lacey says.

"You don't have to go that far, Lacey." Clara says. "You and I both know being a mother is what you want more than anything. You don't have to give that up."

"But I love him that much, Clarabella. I can't believe I love a man I just met this much. And now he's gone." Lacey says as she starts to cry again.

Clara slides over and puts her arm around Lacey. "That's only temporary. He can't live without you. It's kind of like me living without you. That's not happening. Danny is just dealing with the reality of how great you are. And that he isn't as cocky as he portrays himself to be. Well, he is. But it goes away when it comes to you. He just saw that Archie lost you and he doesn't want to lose you too. And he realized how close he came to not having you at all. " Clara says.

"I don't want to lose him either. I can't lose him. It would be like cutting my heart out of my chest. I was hurt when I broke up with Archie, but it felt nothing like this. And we haven't even officially broke up. I won't be able to handle that. I know I won't. Thank god you're a future Psychologist. I know I'll need therapy if this is over." Lacey says as she laughs light-heartedly.

"If this is over, I'll fix you. But Jo will need more than therapy if it is." Clara says. "This is all her fault."

"Yeah. My former friend. I finally see what you saw since we were younger. I should have taken you adherence to being her friend more seriously." Lacey admits.

"I just saw what you couldn't. Jo is an awful person. She's so selfish and conniving, that it makes me sick. Tess and Kyle raised a winner. She has always been envious of you, though she won't admit it. You never had to work for people's approval. And she feels like she shouldn't have to because she's Jo Masterson. She only wants people in her life on her terms. I'll bet she asked you to choose, didn't she?" Clara asks as she takes her arm from around Lacey and looks over at her.

"How did you know?" Lacey asks.

"Because that's something she would do. She thinks she's that special. And she hates that you're happy while she has to pretend to be happy. She thinks that Danny and every other man should look at her the way her parents do. And she looks at you the way I look at her. Well, not that bad. But she definitely cuts her eyes at you when she thinks no one is looking. She isn't your friend. But she knows that if she isn't she won't have any friends. Sarita, Phoebe, and Regina are only her friends because of you. They can't stand her. But they love you." Clara says.

"Yeah, they told me that too. Well, Sarita did and Regina agreed. Phoebe didn't say, but she was on board with what they were saying." Lacey says.

"You don't need her. You have us. We want to see you happy. I see that he makes you happy." Clara says.

"I didn't even tell you what he did, did I?" Lacey asks.

"No. What?" Clara asks.

"He paid off the house. As a surprise." Lacey says.

"He has that kind of money?" Clara asks in awe.

"I guess so. He told me he's kind of rich. He inherited it when his father died." Lacey says.

"And the woman who doesn't care about money gets a rich guy. That figures." Clara says and Lacey cracks up laughing.

Lacey stops laughing and gets a little nostalgic. "I wonder where he is. I miss him." Lacey says sadly.

"He probably just went to think. He'll be back soon." Clara says with certainty.

"I hope you're right, Clarabella." Lacey says.

* * *

Danny suddenly jerks awake and lets out a gasp. He jumped out of the bed and started breathing heavy. Lacey rolled over and turned the light on.

"Are you ok?" Lacey asks as she rolls back over in the bed.

"I just had a bad dream. A nightmare, actually." Danny says as he sits back on the bed.

Lacey notices how shook up he is as she gets up and crawls toward him and hugs him from behind. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Lacey asks

Danny places his hands up to rub her arms. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You might not like it either." Danny says.

"Try me. You can tell me anything Danny. I think we've established that." Lacey says quietly.

"I dreamt I went to Jo when I left here and told her that she was the one." Danny says.

"Well, if you're dreaming that, then she must be the one." Lacey says as she pulls away from him.

Danny stands from the bed and looks at her. He saw the smile appear on her face. "That's not funny, Lacey." Danny says.

"You know they say dreams are your subconscious telling you what you really want. I'll get Clara in here to diagnose you." Lacey jokes.

"If I ever go to Jo and start thinking she's the one, I'll need more than a diagnosis from Clara. I'll need a straightjacket and serious medication to alter my sense of reality." Danny says.

"Are you sure?" Lacey asks.

"Of course I'm sure. If I ever choose her over you, put me in a mental institution because I have clearly lost my mind." Danny jokes.

"But it's not too late. If you want Jo, I'm sure she'd be happy to have you. She feels like you belong to her anyway. Since day one, she has insisted that she was there to see you first." Lacey states.

"Why would I want Jo when I have you? That's preposterous. I'd rather be with Louie or Cole." Danny says.

"You know I could always put a blonde wig on and pretend to be her." Lacey says as she reaches over to grab a pillow and laugh into it.

Danny takes this time to hop on the bed and get on top of her and removes the pillow from her face. "Are you done teasing me?" Danny asks.

"Nope." Lacey says as she lifts her head to peck him on the nose.

"Why not?" Danny asks as he smiles down at her.

"Because I like teasing you." Lacey says as she wiggles her body under his to wrap her legs around him.

"I'm gonna make you pay for that." Danny says.

"How are you going to do that?" Lacey asks.

Danny smiles and pecks her on the lips. "You'll see." Danny says as he moves to get off of her and lays down beside her.

* * *

_That drive in complete silence gave him all the answers he needed. He started his car up again and headed where he knew he wasn't second best. Where he was loved and appreciated. He knew that she would accept him with open arms. Her face would light up when she saw him. He couldn't believe he was actually that naive about her love for him. It took Lacey's ex and her silly best friend to make him realize what was staring right at him the whole time. He knew it was late, and she should be in the bed. He figured he'd just crawl in bed with her and surprise her._

_He was glad he still had his key. He was glad he didn't do something stupid like give it back or break it off because he got a hard dose of reality. As cocky, confident, and borderline aggressive as he was, that all went away when the prospect of losing Lacey hit him hard and strong. He should have stayed and heard her out. But he ran. Like a coward . That isn't who he is. Being with Lacey brought out emotions he never thought he had. He never thought he would feel this way about any woman. He loved his mother dearly. And he loved Whitney. But the love he had for them was totally different from the love he had for Lacey. It opened him up and frightened him at the same time. He felt weak. But not the bad kind of weak. His love for her weakened him and made him stronger. He got a little mad at himself for questioning her devotion to him. He knew how loyal she was. He never should have doubted that because her ex came into the picture. Danny started to think that Archie is indeed a fool like he said he was. He wouldn't be a fool along with him._

_He would go back to the house that he shared with Lacey. The woman he loved more than anything. The woman who loved him. That drive gave him clarity and all the answers that he needed. He no longer felt like they moved too fast. They were moving at the perfect rate for him. This was the woman that was meant for him and selected for him at birth. He loved everything about her. He knew that she no longer had feelings for Archie. She would have told him if she did. He would have noticed if she did. It took seeing Archie and what she could have had with another man and it frightened him. Archie could have stolen her away a long time ago and she wouldn't be his. He felt like he had to thank Archie for letting her go. He profited and benefited from that. When he first met Lacey, he knew she would be his wife. And that hadn't changed. Seeing Archie scared him. More than he would want to admit. The prospect of losing her hit a little too hard. He realized what a gem Lacey was and didn't want to let that go. He never wanted to be in the situation Archie was currently in by living with regrets. Archie and Keith's word rang true. He'd better hurry up and marry her before someone else swoops in and steals her away. Archie experienced that first hand. Archie said Lacey was the kind of woman you don't find twice. Danny knew that was true. Lacey was perfect. For him. In every way. End of story. _

_So he started his car back up and headed to the woman he intended to spend the rest of his life with. The woman he felt incredibly lucky and honored to have. No other woman would ever hold a candle to her or take her place. He knew she was the one. He needed to tell her that and explain to her his insecurities. For the first time he could ever recall being insecure about anything, let alone a woman. But this woman was totally different. He loved and adored her more than anything else in the world. Danny drove back to the house and pulled up in front of it. Everything seemed just the way it was when he left. He realized how late and quiet it was and knew that Lacey was most likely asleep. He would have to wake her because talking to her could not wait._

_He made his way inside and locked up. He headed upstairs quietly and opened their bedroom door slowly and quietly. When he opened the door fully, he heard Lacey crying and saw her laying in the bed. He immediately felt bad about being the reason she was crying as he shut the door. He walked over to the bed and climbed in almost on top of her as he pulled her into a hug. "Lacey stop crying. I'm here. I'm here and I'm sorry." Danny says as he starts to rock her like a child. __Lacey was relieved he was there but continued to sob. "Lacey, baby. Please stop crying. I'm sorry." Danny says as he continues to hold her and her tears start to subside. Lacey rolled over so that she was now facing him and buries her face in his chest as she starts to cry again. Danny pulls her head up closer to him and starts to kiss her entire face. "I love you and I'm sorry. Please stop crying. I was an ass. Please forgive me." Danny says as he continues to kiss her face, tasting her tears. _

_Lacey finally stops crying and just looks at him. "I'm sorry too. I love you. I swear I don't have feelings for Archie." Lacey says as she stares deep into his eyes._

_"I know that. I had time to think. I know that you love me almost as much as I love you. It just scared me to think I could lose you." Danny says._

_"Danny, I love you more than anything. You don't have to worry about losing me. I'm not going anywhere." Lacey says._

_"Lacey, I love you more than life itself. And I did worry about losing you. I saw that Archie lost you and it scared me. I'm never going anywhere." Danny says._

_"I'm not with Archie for a reason. I never loved him the way I love you. I only want you. And I would still ve with you if you didn't want kids." Lacey says._

_"You don't have to worry about that Lacey. I do want kids. I wasn't lying about that. I already picture you as the mother of my kids." Danny admits._

_"I already see you as the father of my kids too. Our kids." Lacey says._

_"In a way, I'm glad that Archie came here. I think it has brought us closer. Even though I already knew that I loved you and I wanted to spend eternity with you, but it made me realize that I shouldn't question us moving too fast, or our love. I don't ever want to sit around and wish I had done things differently, or to live with regrets. I can't live without you, Lacey." Danny confesses._

_"I can't live without you either. I don't have a reason to question our relationship anymore. I thought we moved too fast too, but I don't think that anymore. I think we were meant to wind up at the same school coaching the same kids. I'm not taking that for granted. I can't picture either of us being with someone else." Lacey says._

_"I feel the same way. I'd rather be single forever than to be with a woman who isn't you." Danny says._

_"Where did you go when you left here?" Lacey asks._

_"Nowhere really. I just drove around until how much of an ass I was being hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that Archie and Jo didn't matter to our relationship. And your reaction to seeing him wasn't because you still had feelings for him, you didn't understand your friend stooping that low to hurt you. I didn't understand it at the time. All I saw was your ex. Once I removed myself from the situation and had time to think, I realized that you didn't look at Archie with longing. He regrets losing you, not the other way around. I know that now. I know I'm not your second choice." Danny says._

_"Of course you aren't my second choice. I could never settle with you. Jo said I'd meet the man of my dreams, and I did. Never doubt my love for you. I only love two men, you and my father. And that's a totally different love." Lacey says._

_"I know what you mean. You already know how I feel about my mother and Whitney, but the way I feel for you is totally different. I even love Clara as my sister. But you are the first woman I've truly loved and been in love with." Danny says as he pulls Lacey in for a kiss. Lacey reached for Danny's shirt and started to unbutton it as she ran her fingers through his hair. Danny pulls away from her and breaks the kiss as he gets out of the bed to completely undress. He looked Lacey in her eyes, and spoke to her without words. She looked at him the same way as she watched him undress. They both confirmed that they were in it together and for the long haul and nothing and no one could break them apart. Once Danny was fully undressed, he climbed back into the bed with her and slipped off her nightgown before climbing on top of her. Lacey instinctively opened her legs to allow him better access in to her. Danny slowly entered her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and they embraced in a deep kiss. They made love passionately before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms. _

* * *

The next morning, Lacey awoke late to the aroma of Clara cooking breakfast. Lacey looked at her phone and realized it was almost noon. Danny was still sleeping so she slipped out of bed quietly, showered quickly and threw on pajama bottoms and a tee-shirt and headed downstairs. Clara was cooking pancakes, sausages, eggs and she even had fresh fruit available. She was also doing laundry. "Good morning, Cee-Cee." Clara says.

"Good morning, Clarabella. Thanks for cooking. I'm too tired to do it." Lacey says as she sits at the breakfast bar.

"No problem. I know you had a late night. And I needed to eat and do laundry before I hit the road." Clara says.

"I'm so glad you decided to surprise me. When are you coming back?" Lacey asks.

"Probably not until next month. And I'm coming for Thanksgiving. You should do dinner here. And we can do Christmas at Mom and Dad's." Clara says.

"That's a good idea. I'll talk to Mom. What time are you leaving?" Lacey asks.

"About 3, so I'll still have time to settle down. So how is everything with you and Danny?" Clara asks as she flips a pancake.

"Everything is perfect. You were right. Thanks for the talk." Lacey says.

"No problem. I told you he'd be back. He can't live without you." Clara says.

"I can't live without him either. I can't wait for Mom and Dad to meet him." Lacey admits.

"They'll love him. I already do. And you know I never lie about liking or disliking someone." Clara says.

Lacey starts to laugh. "Yes, I know. So what's going in with the two guys you invited to the party?" Lacey asks.

"It's just one guy now. Nick and Sarita exchanged numbers. He's cute, but he suits her better. He reminds me of Archie." Clara says.

Lacey laughs again. "I thought the same thing. So you and Louie hit it off? I saw you two making googly eyes at each other." Lacey says.

Clara starts to grin. "Yeah. We exchanged numbers and planned to go out when I can get away. I like him." Clara says.

"He likes you too." Danny says as he enters the kitchen and walks up to kiss Lacey on her cheek before sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry. Good morning ladies." Danny says.

"Good morning. How do you know that?" Clara asks.

"Because he told me. Maybe you can come and spend another weekend and we can all go out. I can take you guys out on the boat." Danny says.

"That sounds like fun. I'm game." Clara says as she finishes with the breakfast and they all eat their meal. They finish up and Lacey cleans the kitchen since Clara cooked and Clara finishes her laundry. Danny retreated to his man cave to let the sisters have the house to themselves partly. Lacey and Clara hang out a little while longer before it's time for her to leave. Lacey heads to their bedroom to change so that she can get the needed things to fix Danny's naked lasagna. She throws on jeans and heads down to the man cave to see if Danny wants anything. She finds him playing Pac-Man on the arcade game.

"Do you want anything from the store while I'm gone?" Lacey asks as she sees the basement for the first time since Danny put the whole store in it.

Danny thinks for a moment. "Anything chocolate. I like chocolate." Danny says as he winks at her.

"I know you do." Lacey jokes as she walks over to give him a kiss. "I'll be back soon." Lacey says as she turns to leave the man cave.

"I'll be waiting." Danny says as he goes back to playing Pac-Man.

* * *

*****Lacey returned from the store and headed to her office to grade papers before she had to start cooking. When she returned to her bedroom, she found Danny just sitting on their bed going over his coaching manual. She entered the room and just smiled at him before undressing right in front of him. She saw him peek at her from behind the book and didn't say a word. She purposely only took her top off and walked out of the room. He followed her with his eyes. She walked back in and took off her jeans before she walked into her closet. This time she came out fully naked. Danny didn't even try to hide that he was looking this time. Lacey just walked into the bathroom without a word and went to get into the shower. She was lathering her sponge when Danny appeared behind her.

"Why didn't you invite me to join you?" Danny asks.

"Because I knew you'd come on your own. I have a surprise for you when we finish." Lacey says as they wash each other.

"What kind of surprise?" Danny asks as he washes her back.

"You'll see." Lacey says as she smiles. They finish with their shower and head to their bedroom. Danny just dresses in some shorts and a tank. "Go downstairs and wait for me in the kitchen for your surprise." Lacey says.

Danny grins. "Ok." Danny says as he leaves the room and heads downstairs. He sits at the counter and waits for Lacey and is stunned when she enters the kitchen wearing just a small apron and heels. Danny is immediately aroused, but he will enjoy the view. He'd be a fool not to. He watches in silence as Lacey cooks the meat and noodles for the lasagna. His penis seemed to twitch in his shorts every time she moved. He got really excited when he saw her bend down to get the pan for the lasagna. He continued to watch in silence as she layered it in the pan. She washed her hands and dried them and grabbed the lasagna. As soon as she put it in the oven, he was right behind her. He picked her up and put her on the counter before he laying her back and opening her legs. He immediately dove his head between her legs and started to savor her. Lacey felt like his mouth was everywhere as he devoured her with his tongue. She felt him lick her lips before moving to her clit. He paid special attention to the sensitive nub as he placed two fingers inside of her. He continued to eat her just right before her body started to jerk and she had a gripping orgasm. Danny took her off the counter and turned her around and leaned her over until she was in an L shape before he pulled down his shorts and entered her from behind. He started to grind into her as he grabbed her ass cheeks. Danny gradually picked up speed and continued to pound into her. He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and put her on the floor before getting on the floor behind her and entered her again from behind. He must have really enjoyed having sex in the kitchen or maybe it was her fixing him that lasagna almost completely naked that turned him on further and seemed to really bring out his beast side. He was nowhere near stopping as he continued to slide his dick in and out of her. And her moans really turned him on. After he felt her walls constrict and he felt her wetness on him, he let go too. He unloaded inside of her before he pulled out of her. He laid on his back on the floor while his dick became erect again. He guided her to get on top of him and he got harder when she grabbed him and put his dick inside of her. He grabbed her breasts as she started to ride him. They both got lost in the moment. They had no idea just having sex in the kitchen would turn them both on that much. They continued to grind each other. They had sex feverishly on the kitchen floor. They both reached the brink before they realized that they smelled smoke.

The lasagna burned.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is the final chapter. I know, but I've taken these two as far as I can go without ruining the story. Check out the other notes I placed at the end of the chapter.**

**The part written in italics is a flashback.**

**Thanks for reading. I hope the end of this story is satisfactory to you. Reviews are hugs. **

* * *

Two months have passed and it's time for Thanksgiving. Danny and Lacey have been going strong. Danny officially gave up his place and moved in with Lacey. They put Archie and Jo completely behind them. There really wasn't any reason for them to dwell on what happened anyway. After Danny left that night and returned, and they had that heart to heart conversation, they realized how in love they were and that no one and nothing could tear them apart. They both were having lots of fun at this new stage in their relationship. Neither one of them had ever been in a relationship where they lived with their significant other. They had only always lived with their parents or a roommate in college. It was fun and exciting, and prepared them for when they would eventually get married. They both attributed their getting along so well even though they lived and worked together to Danny having his man cave. It was perfect for him to have a separate space so that they wouldn't crowd each other and get on each other's nerves. And so far, so good. And it gave them another area in the house to have sex in. Danny and Lacey would never tell their guests or friends that they have had sex in almost every room in the house. They even had sex on Danny's pool table, at Danny's insistence.

They were of course off from work because of the holiday and Clara had arrived the night before. Lacey got up early that morning to put the turkey in so that it would be ready for dinner that evening. Her parents were coming over and it would be their first time meeting Danny. They were both nervous and excited about that. Karen and Jack were coming over as well. She had already met them, so that wasn't a problem. Lacey finished with the turkey and headed back up to their bedroom where Danny was still sleeping. She quietly slid back into bed to get a few more hours of sleep. She was glad that Clara was there to help her with the cooking, and would more than likely check on the turkey for her when she woke up. Clara would most likely cook breakfast in a few hours anyway. Lacey snuggled her body close to Danny's and drifted back off to sleep. When she awoke, Danny was gone. She headed to the bathroom to take care of her personal needs and slipped on a pair of Danny's sweats. She loved wearing his clothes for some reason. She went downstairs where she indeed found Clara cooking and Danny sitting at the bar talking to her. She walked in on the back-end of their conversation, but from what she heard, Clara was giving him pointers on meeting their parents.

"Really, all you have to do is be yourself. They'll be able to tell if you're faking it. And invite Dad downstairs to watch football. He'll love that." Clara says.

"What about your Mom?" Danny asks.

"Again, be yourself. And tell her that she looks like she's our sister instead of our mother. And ask her about herself. She'll love you." Clara says.

"Good morning, people I love." Lacey says as she walks over to look into the oven.

"I already checked it. And good morning." Clara says.

"Good morning babe." Danny says.

"I see you're getting parent pointers." Lacey says as she sits down next to Danny.

"Yes, I am. I have to make a good impression on my future in-laws." Danny says as he winks at her.

"Clara gave you the best pointers, though I don't think you need them. They'll love you because I love you." Lacey says as she leans over to kiss him.

"Alright now. I haven't eaten yet." Clara jokes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lacey asks feigning hurt.

"It means that I don't want my appetite ruined." Clara says as she smiles at them. "How is my best girlfriend, Queen Jo?" Clara asks.

"Same old Jo, I guess. We haven't talked since we had that talk. The girls don't deal with her either. Even Rico, who worshipped the ground she walked on moved on from her. He started dating one of the substitutes, Andie. They are extremely cute together." Lacey says.

"Awwww. Poor Jo is all alone. Serves her right." Clara says.

"And guess who's pregnant?" Lacey asks.

"You." Clara says as she eyes Danny and Lacey dead on.

"No, it's not me. Phoebe." Lacey says.

"Oh, that's so sweet. Tell her I said Congratulations." Clara says as she finishes up with the small breakfast since they'll be eating a huge meal later. They all eat and Danny heads to his man cave to watch football while Clara and Lacey continue to talk and prep for the meal.

"So, how are things with Louie?" Lacey asks.

"Good. We talk and text all the time. He's having dinner with his family, but we're meeting up tomorrow." Clara says as she smiles.

"That's good. I'm happy to hear things are going well." Lacey says as she starts to rinse off the string beans.

"But how are you really doing? I know it couldn't have been easy saying goodbye to your friend. Even though I hate her, I know you cared about her." Clara says.

"It was hard, I'm not going to lie. But it's life. Jo wasn't my friend if she did all of that. We're still cordial towards each other at school, but I doubt we'll ever be friends again." Lacey says as she remembers the talk she had with Jo...

* * *

_After the chaos concerning the party, Lacey and Danny, and Archie and Jo wore off, Lacey invited Jo to meet with her to have the talk they needed to have. Lacey asked her to meet her at Starbucks. Lacey had many things she needed to get off her chest. This felt like a breakup, and in a sense it is. After all of these years of friendship with Jo, it had to come to an end. __Lacey sipped her coffee as she waited for Jo to arrive. Jo finally arrived and still had the same pissed off expression she always has on her face. _

_"Hello." Jo says as she sits down._

_"Hello." Lacey says as she puts her mug down. "Do you want to order something?" Lacey asks._

_"No, I'm fine." Jo says as she forces herself not to frown._

_"Jo, where did we go wrong?" Lacey asks._

_"I think you know where we went wrong, Lacey." Jo says._

_"So, you still feel like I stole Danny away from you?" Lacey asks._

_"Come on Lacey. We both know you did." Jo says._

_"I'd like to know how I stole a man who never belonged to you and was never interested in you. Please explain that to me." Lacey says._

_"You stepped in the way before we even had a chance, Lacey." Jo says._

_"I didn't step in the way of anything. He told me that even if there was no me, he still wouldn't be interested in you." Lacey says._

_"Whatever." Jo says as she exhales._

_"You have this warped sense of entitlement where you think that because you want something, you're supposed to have it. To hell with everyone else's feelings." Lacey says._

_"That's not true." Jo lies._

_"Yes, it is. You keep bringing up you seeing Danny first as a way to make me feel guilty, and I fell for it at first. But those days are over. I will not discuss this crap with you again. If you want to feel like I stole him from you, then that's on you." Lacey says._

_Jo purses her lips. "Fine." Jo says._

_"We also need to discuss that move you pulled by bringing Archie to my party." Lacey says._

_Jo forms a tiny grin on her face. "What move?" Jo asks as she tries to pretend that she's innocent._

_"You invited him to my party to either hurt me or make me jealous." Lacey says._

_"No, I didn't. Jo lies._

_"Yes, you did. But the joke is entirely on you because I'm not the least bit jealous. I have Danny, and even if I didn't, I still wouldn't be jealous of you and Archie." Lacey says._

_"Oh really?" Jo asks._

_"Yes, really. I got over Archie a long time ago. And if you want my leftovers, help yourself." Lacey says as she smiles at Jo._

_"There's nothing going on with Archie and I." Jo says._

_"Oh, I know. I talked to Archie." Lacey says._

_"You did?" Jo asks._

_"Yes. He called me to apologize. He told me how you called him and invited him to a party. He told me you told him I was ok with you calling him and asking him to said party. He also told me he had no idea it was my party. And last but not least, he told me he told you to never call him again." Lacey says._

_"I already said that there's nothing going on between us." Jo states._

_"I know and I heard you. It's a shame though. You went through all of that and have nothing to show for it." Lacey says._

_"What do you mean?" Jo asks._

_"Well, you tried to break up Danny and I, but you don't have that kind of power. We are stronger than ever. I plan to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him. So, I'd like to thank you for strengthening our bond and relationship." Lacey says._

_"Look-" Jo starts to say but Lacey interrupts her._

_"I'm not finished. You went out of your way to hurt me, Jo. I went out of my way to put you with Danny, even though it hurt me to do that. You were too busy focused on your needs and your wants to even think of somebody else for once in your life. You are the most selfish and self-absorbed person I have ever met in my life." Lacey says._

_"I'm not selfish and self-absorbed." Jo says to her defense. _

_"Yes, you are. But it's ok because I don't have to deal with it any more. You have to live with the fact that you lost a great friend. I'll be as nice as necessary to you since we work together, but you and I are no longer friends." Lacey says as she stands to leave. "Take care of yourself Jo." Lacey says as she walks away from her former best friend. _

* * *

Lacey and Clara continued to talk and cook for their family and Danny's. They prepared as much as they could beforehand and just saved things like the gravy and rolls for later. They didn't have to worry about desserts because their mother was bringing that. They both retreated to their bedrooms to rest before they got ready to put on their clothes and get ready for dinner. Lacey was just laying in the bed quietly when Danny came into their bedroom. He just climbed in the bed with Lacey and laid there with her. They both dozed off and awoke a few hours later and showered together to get ready for dinner. Lacey put on a navy blue dress and Danny dressed in navy blue slacks and white shirt to look presentable for meeting Lacey's parents. They headed downstairs where they found Clara basting the turkey. She was dressed in a light blue dress she borrowed from Lacey. She knew her mother would appreciate her putting a dress on for dinner. Their mother always wore dresses and skirts, and Lacey was pretty much the same way. She really only wore pants to practice, around the house, and when it was way too cold outside to get away with exposing her legs. Tights only did but so much. Lacey hooked up her iPod, and put on some light music until their guests arrived. Clara and Lacey were happy to be seeing their parents again after what seemed like a long time to their mother, Judy.

The doorbell rang and Danny hurried to get it. Jack and Karen were a little early, but it wasn't a big or small deal at all. "Hi Mom. Hi Jack." Danny says.

"Hi Danny." Jack says as he shakes Danny's hand.

"Hi sweetheart." Karen says as she pulls Danny in for a hug. She missed her only child. She misses Danny even if she saw him the day before.

"I missed you too, Mom." Danny says as they step in and he takes the bottles of wine his mother and Jack have brought.

"Where is my daughter in law?" Karen asks as she looks around. "You guys have a really nice house. I know this was all Lacey though." Karen says.

"She's in the kitchen with her sister. And yes, this was all her." Danny says as Karen heads for the kitchen and he follows after telling Jack to have a seat. He sees Karen and Lacey hugging when he makes his way in to put the wine in the fridge. He leaves the women to talk while he goes back into the living room with his step father.

"Hi Lacey. I missed you." Karen says as she continues to hug Lacey.

"I missed you too, Mom." Lacey says as she smiles and Karen finally lets her go. "Mom, this is my sister Clara. Clara this is my other Mom, Karen."

Clara smiles and goes to shake her hand when Karen pulls her in for a hug too. "It's nice to meet you, Clara. You look just like Lacey." Karen says.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mama Karen." Clara says.

"So has my son been behaving himself?" Karen asks.

"Yes. He has been on his best behavior." Lacey says as she smiles. "Would you like something to drink?" Lacey asks.

"Not yet. I'll wait. Everything smells great." Karen says.

"Thanks. We've been cooking all day." Lacey says. "Our parents should get here soon." Lacey says and as soon as she says that, the doorbell rings. Lacey walks out from the kitchen with Karen and Clara. Once they enter the living room they see Danny opening the door and Judy and Samuel step in.

"Hello everyone." Judy says as she smiles at Danny. "Hi Danny." Judy says as she gives Danny a hug.

"Hello, Danny." Samuel says as he shakes Danny's hand.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Porter." Danny says.

"Call us Mom and Dad." Judy says.

"Thanks Mom. Although you look more like Lacey and Clara's sister than their mother." Danny says as Judy smiles from ear to ear.

Lacey and Clara run over to hug their parents and they introduce Jack and Karen. They all enjoy their dinner that everyone commented and praised Lacey and Clara on. The women go to the living room to talk while the men go to Danny's man cave. Once they're downstairs, Samuel pulls Danny aside to talk to him.

"I can see how much you love my daughter." Samuel says.

"Yes I do, Sir." Danny says. "How can you tell?"

"Because you look at her the way I look at her mother. I know you already know how precious my daughters are, and they mean the world to me." Samuel says.

"Yes, I know. I love Lacey and Clara. Clara is like my sister. I'd do anything to protect both of them." Danny admits.

"I know. When they were younger, I wanted a son but we stopped at two. Now I have one." Samuel says as he pats Danny on his back.

Danny smiles. "Thanks Dad." Danny says to Samuel.

"And you have my blessing." Samuel says and Danny gives him a weird look. "I know, and you have my blessing." Samuel says again.

* * *

Lacey, Clara, Judy and Karen all converse like old friends. Karen and Judy really took a liking to each other. It's like they had been friends for years. Both women were thrilled to see how happy their children are. Danny and his two fathers came up to join their women. Clara didn't even feel like a fifth wheel, because she knew her time would come one day. They continue to talk before their guests decide to head on home and leave Clara, Danny and Lacey at home for the evening. Clara heads to her room to gab away on the phone with Louie. Lacey and Danny retreated to their bedroom. They just lounge on their bed and watch a movie on tv. Lacey was sitting up while Danny was laid back on the pillows.

"Your parents are great." Danny says.

"Thanks. I think so too." Lacey says.

"Your dad and I had a talk." Danny says and Lacey turns around to look at him.

"About what?" Lacey asks.

"Nothing much. Just you and Clara, and how he wanted a son but he loves you two." Danny says.

"Yeah, he did. That's why Clara is a Daddy's girl. She was like his son when we were younger." Lacey says.

"And he gave me his blessing." Danny says.

"His blessing for what?" Lacey asks.

"To give you this." Danny says as he reaches under the pillow to pull out a box. Lacey looks at him funny before she starts to tear up. "Lacey Michelle Porter, will you marry me?" Danny asks as he smiles at Lacey and kind of chuckles at her attempt to stop crying.

"Yes. Yes I'll marry you." Lacey chokes out between tears. "Daniel John Desai, I will be happy to marry you." Lacey says and Danny places the extremely beautiful diamond engagement ring on her finger and Lacey jumps on him and bathes his face in kisses.

* * *

**This is the end and there will be an epilogue to follow. Thank you for reading. I'll be focusing on my new story, Pinks and Blues. I have several other Dacey story ideas so this isn't the last you've heard from me. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Seven years later...**

Lacey was in their daughter's bedroom zipping up four-year old Gabriella's, Gabbi for short, dress. Lacey decided to dress her in a white dress that had a lavender belt and had lavender bows on it with white tights and lavender shoes that were a headache to find for their Easter pictures. Danny was playing with two-year Anthony downstairs who was already dressed and Lacey prayed that he stayed clean. Lacey already dressed three-month old Danielle because she fed her and she knew she would stay perfect because she was only three months old and couldn't get dirty like her other two active children.

Gabbi and Danni had on the same dress. Lacey already loved dressing her daughters alike. It amazed Lacey and Danny how their girls looked just like Lacey, dimples and all with Danny's complexion, and Anthony, Tony as they called him for short, was Danny's twin in every way. He looked exactly like Danny and acted just like him too. Lacey and Danny were two incredibly gorgeous people and their children came out more beautiful than both of them. They looked like kids you'd see in magazines. Both Gabbi and Danni had lots of dark curly hair. Lacey put identical lavender headbands in Gabbi and Danni's hair.

"Mommy, I'm thirsty." Gabbi says when Lacey finishes making her look like a doll.

"Well, you can only have water because I don't want you to get your dress dirty. Go and ask Daddy to get it for you while I get your baby sister." Lacey says.

"Ok Mommy." Gabbi says as she runs from her room to find her father.

Lacey walks over to get her smallest bundle of Joy from the swing. She was wide awake, just happy to be swinging back and forth. Lacey was extremely lucky that Danni wasn't a fussy baby at all and was already sleeping through the night. Lacey picked up her beautiful daughter and kissed her on her cheek. She felt extremely blessed to have such happy, healthy and beautiful babies. Some people weren't as lucky as she and Danny were, so she didn't take it for granted.

Danni started to coo once she was in her mother's arms. "Hi Danni. Hi pretty girl." Lacey said as she held her close and kissed her cheek again. Lacey grabbed the diaper bag and headed downstairs. Tony and Gabbi were in the kitchen with Danny when she went to put Danni in the car seat before making her way to the kitchen to get bottles for Danni.

"Mommy, I'm not thirsty anymore." Gabbi says. "Daddy gave me water."

"He did?" Lacey asks in mock surprise as she opens the refrigerator.

"Yes." Gabbi says.

"Do you have to go potty before we leave?" Lacey asks.

"No." Gabbi says as she runs into the living room to play with her baby sister.

"What about you, Tony?" Lacey asks as she puts three bottles and an ice pack into the bag.

He shook his head no as he follows his big sister. "I already took him." Danny says.

"Good. I'm so glad he stayed clean this long." Lacey says.

"I told him we would go to the park and play soccer if he didn't get his clothes dirty." Danny says.

"Bribing our son, Danny?" Lacey asks as she smiles.

"Hey, whatever works." Danny says as he pecks Lacey on the lips. "How about I get a bribe of my own?" Danny asks as he pulls Lacey into his arms.

"If you can get all three kids in the van, I'll have a surprise for you tonight. You know, the kind I gave you when we first met." Lacey says.

Danny's face lights up. "Kids! Let's go. We're going for a ride." Danny says as he walks towards the living room. Lacey hears Gabbi and Tony yell, "Yay!"

Lacey giggles to herself before grabbing the bag and her purse. She locked up the house and sure enough, all three kids were tucked away in their minivan.

Danny was sitting in the driver's seat with the same grin on his face. "So, I do get my surprise, right?" Danny asks.

"Yes, you do." Lacey says as she puts her seat belt on.

"I want a surprise too." Gabbi says.

"How about we ask Auntie Clara if you can stay with her tonight?" Lacey asks.

"Yay!" Tony and Gabbi yell as they put their arms in the air and Danny pulls off to head towards the mall. They get there and get out and Danny gets the stroller from the back. They head inside the mall and walk towards the picture studio.

"I told you your kids would be beautiful." The woman says to Lacey as she touches her elbow.

"Excuse me?" Lacey asks.

"Remember when I told you your kids would be beautiful?" The woman says to Lacey.

Lacey thinks for a moment and remembers back to her and Danny's first date. This is the woman who was at the restaurant with them. "Yes, Ma'am. I remember now. Thank you. I can't believe you remembered us." Lacey says as she smiles.

"I never forget true love." The woman says as she smiles and walks away.

Lacey smiles at her children and her husband. The love she felt for each of them was true indeed.


End file.
